Driver's Seat
by matthiasc
Summary: Teen years are hard; Ranulf can attest to that. And now his mom's making him learn to drive. But when his teacher is a certain someone, can Ranulf be cheeky and cheery once more? Modern day AU, Ike/Ranulf, Kyza/Lyre, Boyd/Mist, Kieran/Oscar. All five chapters updated harshly as of Feb. 7 2013.
1. Raindrops and Lollipops

_Driver's Seat_

**A/N: **_Hey guys, here's some info that'll be helpful for you as you read._

_-This is a modern AU, with a 17-year-old Ranulf and an 18-year-old Ike._  
><em>-Character appearance details have been shifted to be more realistic. Ranulf is blond and does not have heterochromia, Ike has black hair, Kyza and Boyd have brown hair. Lyre and Lethe have strawberry blonde hair and green eyes instead.<em>

_So without further ado, here we go!_

* * *

><p>"Ranulf! Ranulf!" Lyre screeched in her high-pitched voice. "We're gonna be late, hurry up!"<p>

"Yeah, yeah... I'm coming, don't get your knickers in a knot," he deadpanned as he began to walk slightly faster.

"Heehee, oh Ranulf, you're so funny! See, this is why I love you~!" Lyre giggled oh-so-discretely as light footsteps leisurely catched up, not noticing Ranulf rolling his eyes in response, before they reached the bus stop with time to spare.

"There, we made it. I don't see why you felt like we had to rush, we're still early."

"But, but, like... Now we can wait together!" She replied smartly (prompting another roll-of-the-eyes). Sighing exhaustedly, he sat down on the bench and leaned forward so that he rested on his own lap.

"Wake me up when the bus comes; otherwise don't talk, I'm so tired." Ranulf yawned, and, leaving no room for argument, nestled his head on top of his lap and adjusted his arms to form a make-shift pillow. Sighing, Lyre sat beside him and dutifully waited for the bus. She wondered when things had changed between them... When _he _had changed...

Ever since high school started, they had been inseparable. Though reluctant, Ranulf was happy for the company of the kind girl who defended him (rather vigorously) from people who had teased him for his blue hair dye gone wrong. His blond hair had been blue for maybe a day or two before it turned an interesting shade of green. He'd always wanted to try out blue hair. It figures that his first attempt would mess up.

Eventually, the jeering stopped as his hair returned to it's normal blond, to Lyre's disappointment. "Aw, it matched your eyes though!" Nothing could have been farther from the truth, in Ranulf's opinion. But when he saw that she also stuck by him when people called him homophobic slurs, he felt happy that he had made his first friend in high school. His family had moved there for the beginning of school, and he had left behind all his friends from elementary.

Though she had never told him, she had always been drawn to him; first because of his looks and dazzling emerald eyes, then because of his cheerful demeanour and cheeky behaviour. But... He had started to change as the years passed; he seemed more withdrawn nowadays, and was always tired and moody all the time. Granted, maybe she shouldn't keep asking for his help for homework, when she could ask for another classmate's help. _Ugh, what to do, what to do..._ She thought to herself. _Should I be a martyr, a saint, take one for the team, and let him have a break from always helping her? Or should I continue to ask, because then we can spend more time together?_ Sighing dramatically, she decided to let him have his break, though she would suffer terribly from the sidelines. _Hey, that's what friends are for_, she berated herself.

Seeing the bus in the distance, she nudged Ranulf awake, who snarled an irritated 'What?' before rousing himself and rubbing his eyes with his hands tiredly. _Ugh, he definitely is different nowadays_, she thought wistfully to herself. As they headed on the bus, she vowed to make him regain his bright outlook on life. _I'll do whatever it takes! _she thought determinedly.

* * *

><p>After an uneventful morning of classes (<em>and with no time to nap, <em>Ranulf privately whined to himself), Ranulf slithered through the crowd of students towards an empty classroom. Hoping to get some shut-eye, he closed the lights and sat at a desk, sprawling his arms as a rest for his head before he began to almost, sort of fall asleep.

Lunch passed by, as students chattered and gossiped, ran and horsed around, through the halls. Scowling to himself as he was roused out of his dream-like state for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he felt a vibration in his jeans pocket. _It must be Lyre_, he thought to himself. "Hello?"

"Ranulf, I've been looking for you for, like, the whole lunch time!" He tried to ignore the painfully-wrong statement, but couldn't, and felt himself protest the logic.

"Lunch just start—"

"Anyways, listen, listen! I, like, sort of... made an appointment for you, kind of. So now, you have to go, otherwise you'd be like, rude, you know?"

As she cut him off, he felt his teeth grit in annoyance, but he forced it aside. _She's a friend, one of the only ones you've got. _As she finished her explanation, he sighed and let out a little sound of resignation. "Ugh... Where and when, why... ...And you're acting like you're on a sugar high."

Ignoring his last words (_the Lyre filter_, Ranulf mused to himself), she continued to ramble, "Okay, so like, you're gonna go to room.. Uhh... Ummm..."

Ranulf could just see her fishing through her bag full of art supplies, textbooks and binders, and makeup. "Oh cra—I mean, oh crackers! I just broke my brush and it like, spilled everywhere!"

Rolling his eyes, he snorted, "That doesn't even make sense. And you've been hanging around Marcia too often." _Hm, I think I do that too often_, he thought to himself.

"Well, like, whatever! And it does make sense, because, because... Well, like — Oh, I know — the brush broke, and broke my mascara and stuff! So now I gotta go and clean everything up. But hey, meet me near the like... Oh... How should I say this... Meet me near the counsellors' offices! We need to talk to Mr. Lance about, er... Socials!"

"But I'm not taking Histo—"

"'Kay, bye Ranny! Hehe, or wait, granny Ranny! Bye Nanny Ranny!" He heard a hiccup from her before the call ended on that unceremonious note.

Staring at his now-quiet cell phone with a twinge, he resigned himself to whatever she had planned. _She usually isn't _that_ hyper..._ Glumly, he supposed, _I bet someone slipped her some alcohol or a Red Bull or_ _something..._

* * *

><p>During his last block spare, Ranulf wistfully watched his classmates' antics as they fooled around, before reverting his eyes back to the wall and waiting for time to pass as he listened to his iPod let out admittedly not-so-uplifting songs that soothed yet also accentuated the ache in his heart. <em>I wish people talked to me...<em>

As the last bell rang, Ranulf made his way to Mr. Lance's room. Seeing that it was empty, he slipped inside and sat on top of a desk, waiting for Lyre.

"Oh, Mr. Ranulf, I didn't know you'd be coming so early," Mr. Lance's voice said from behind him.

Startled, Ranulf spun his head around to see Mr. Lance beside him, with Lyre following from behind with her big bag. Regaining his composure, he asked, "Um... What do you mean?"

Looking slightly surprised (it was hard to tell what Mr. Lance felt, because his dark green eyes were almost always nearly closed. Ranulf prided himself on being able to almost distinguish when the man felt emotions), Mr. Lance replied, "Well, your friend Miss Lyre practically begged me to see you. I was under the assumption that she had told you as well, but..."

Before he could reply, Lyre came crashing in, tripping on her own feet and dropping her bag, which spilled to reveal a non-broken brush, untarnished books and unbroken makeup, as well as an empty glass of a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino. Averting her eyes nervously, she gracelessly scrambled to gather her dropped belongings in a rush and collapsed onto the floor in a flurry, unceremoniously stuffing them into her bag once more. With her head practically burning, she gave no notice of Ranulf, and instead said something about catching the football game (which, if he remembered right, was tomorrow), before running off, tripping again, and then running off again.

Looking amused (Ranulf didn't know if he was actually amused. Mr. Lance pretty much always smiled), Mr. Lance began to speak again. "At any rate, your friend is just concerned. She thought it would be nice if you and I had a chat, that's all."

Moving his jaw from side to side in thought, he finally replied, "But I'm... I'm fine."

Smiling, Mr. Lance walked over to his office and unlocked the door. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. Your friend is just concerned, but she doesn't want to upset or bother you." As he turned on the lamp in his small but cozy office, he said, "If you'd like we can talk, but if not, you're free to go."

As Ranulf stayed for a moment, thinking and processing what he had just heard, he turned on his heel but something caught his eye. On the door of Mr. Lance's door was a rainbow flag poster declaring 'A safe place for LGBTQ+ students'. With his foot hanging in the air, he changed mid-turn and headed inside the counsellor's open room.

* * *

><p>Slowing to a walk, Lyre breathed deeply in and out as she made her way home. She had formulated a plan with the help of Kyza, and a nice shot of Starbucks. "Whether you like it or not!" Kyza had declared pompously, after he had asked her why she was so deep in thought, and receiving the response "I just want to help someone". She was surprised by his willingness, since he was always so proper and uptight. This was one of the rare times she saw him impassioned... But about what? She just wanted to help someone...<p>

Contrary to what Ranulf believed, she was just giddy with excitement, and maybe sugar and caffeine played a small part. Kyza was really good at helping her come up with ideas for cheering up Ranulf. In fact, it had been his idea to arrange a meeting between Ranulf and Mr. Lance, who was one of the lesser-used counsellors; although, he was always kind and willing to listen, according to Kyza.

Feeling drops of soft rain fall on her head, she looked up at the sky, her thoughts broken. _Oh... I didn't know it was going to rain _today...

Through the soft patter of rain, a pompous voice exclaimed, "Lyre! It's pouring out, what are you doing without a hood or umbrella?" Looking around, Lyre saw Kyza running towards her, with a trench coat as well as a large umbrella propped open in his hand._ Geez, he's always prepared for everything, isn't he_, she thought to herself in amusement.

"Woah!" While running, Kyza had slipped on something, and fumbled to regain his balance. Though he didn't fall, he did look pretty ridiculous with his umbrella and jacket, as he tottered like a weirdo, at least in Lyre's opinion. As he made his way to her slowly, trying to regain his dignity, his faint blush intensified when he saw her trying not to laugh. "_What _is so funny?" he hissed.

Giggling even more, she replied in a faux-British accent, "Oh bugger, I seem to have slipped," while she imitated his less-than-graceful slip.

"Oh, haha." He snorted haughtily, causing her to fall over laughing, consequently causing Kyza to narrow his eyes and blush more. "I was going to lend you my umbrella, but I've changed my mind. I don't even talk like that, and my accent's not even _that_ noticeable, by the way! Anyways, good bye," he said civilly, and began to turn away before she cried out.

"Wait!"

He turned back around, seemingly willing to give her a second chance. "...Yes?"

"Um, sorry for laughing. But hey, c'mon! It was funny from my point of view." As he started to walk away yet again, shaking his head, she said in panic, "Uh, hey! C'mon, don't leave me here shivering to, like, death! I'm sorry, really."

Exhaling heavily, his broad shoulders falling, he walked back to her and offered her his umbrella. After hearing her murmur a quiet 'Thanks, so I guess I'll see you...', he hastily replied, "No, no! It's, ehm... It's any decent gentleman's duty to escort a lady home in this pitiful weather."

Laughing softly, she theatrically sighed, "Well, if you must." Nevertheless, she allowed used the umbrella to cover them both as they walked side by side.

As they walked and chatted while on their way to her home, she got to know him better. She had never really talked to him outside of school before, and now she started to see that he was more interesting than she thought. Eventually they started to talk about the plans they had come up with.

"So... I'm curious, what do you think about Ranulf? Have you noticed he's like totally different than he was before!"

Thinking how to put his thoughts into gentle words, he said, "Well... Maybe he's going through a particularly hard time. I know that the last year of high school does that to people."

Furrowing her brows in worry, she burst out, "But I don't think it's that! He's like never happy anymore! He doesn't talk to anyone besides me from school basically... I'm like... I don't know what to do, I just want the old Ranulf back..."

Coughing awkwardly, he hesitantly reached his arms around her into a hug and lightly squeezed. "You... Don't worry! We made 'awesome plans that can't possibly fail', in your words. Things will get better, trust me." He offered her a warm smile as she looked up at him while they embraced. _He feels warm..._

Hugging back, she whimpered a muffled "Thanks..." before letting go of him. As they began to walk again, she began to cheer up. "You're right... Now we're being proactive and stuff... it's all we can do."

Before he could stop himself, his curiousity got the better of him as he asked, "Well, how about you? How are you able to be happy all the time?"

Averting her eyes, she fumbled with her words. "U-Um... Well, it's kind of silly..." He gave her a questioning look, prompting her to sigh, "I just... really hope one day that I'll be happy. ...Truly happy, if that makes sense. Like... I can be happy now because the future's bright, things will be better, they have to be..."

He fixed her with a reassuring glance. "That's not silly at all. But I don't really understand what you mean."

"Well... Have you ever felt lonely?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "Of course you have, everyone has." She toyed with a strand of her vivid, messy hair. "But... I feel lonely in a romantic way... I just wish I had a boyfriend. Did you know that I've never been asked out? I think people just go to Lethe instead. Besides that though... I... Ack. I can't believe I'm telling you this! Promise you won't tell anyone."

"Okay, I promise," he let out easily. How could he refuse when she looked at him that way?

"Seriously! I haven't even told my sister this!" Lyre ranted, her orange hair flying in the rain as she gestured around. Calming down, she said, "Weeell. Okay, since you helped me come up with that idea, and since I feel like I can trust you, I guess I'll tell you. I... just realized this summer that I have a crush on Ranulf."

Not seeing the crestfallen face on Kyza, she continued, "When he's in a consistently better mood, I'm going to ask him out! Hehe, I'm feeling even better right now. Gosh, now you're like automatically my best friend. Besides Ranulf. Oh wait, if he's my boyfriend, then you'd be my best friend. So hey, it all works out, LOL."

Turning to face him, she said seriously, "But really. Thanks for listening to me, it means a lot. I haven't had anyone else to tell... If I told like any other girl, they'd just see me as competition, haha."

"Oh... It's not a problem..."

As they continued to walk, in the back of his mind Kyza began to think of ways to prevent Lyre and Ranulf getting together, to his own chagrin. _Well, I could always set him up with someone else... But that might make Lyre sad... But then I could comfort her! Unless... Maybe he's gay? Yeah, I don't think he's ever dated anyone... And hasn't he been asked out by girls before and said no? So then, if he was gay, then I don't have to do anything devious. I could still comfort her when she got turned down then!_

A small voice in the back of his head, less panicked and more rational, said, _But what if he's bisexual, like you?_ Groaning, he tuned out the inner turmoil in his head that Lyre, chattering happily, was unaware of. _Maybe I should just ask her out. I still have a chance. ...Or maybe I'll wait a bit. Yeah._

* * *

><p>Sitting in the office, Ranulf felt unsure of what to say, or how to start. Maybe noticing that, Mr. Lance began with small talk. "So.. the weather's nice today isn't it?"<p>

Scoffing softly, he stated, "You don't mean that... It's raining quite badly."

"Oh, but I do mean it. Rain is my favourite weather. I have fond memories in the rain, and it's quite relaxing to listen to. It's when I went on my first date," he elaborated.

"Uh... Cool."

Laughing again, he apologized. "Sorry, I just really like my boyfriend."

At the sound of 'boy', Ranulf perked his head up none-too-subtly. Almost choking on the word, he said, "I didn't know you were ga—" He choked on the word, before he coughed out, "Gay!"

Mr. Lance smiled, as always. "Well, it's just one aspect of me isn't it? Sexuality is one aspect of everyone. I'm a rather private person, so I don't share much about my personal life in public. It figures that not many people would know because of that."

Seeing the boy in thought, the counsellor allowed him to process and think. After a few moments, Ranulf tentatively asked, "Um... Can I tell you something?"

Smiling as if he already knew what Ranulf was about to say (O_r maybe not. He always smiles knowingly, even when he doesn't. Like that time he subbed Mr. Braxe's math class and smiled while making tons of mistakes, _Ranulf thought to himself), he offered, "Of course you can."

"Uhm... I'm... gay..." He let out in a dejected manner.

After a pause, Mr. Lance replied, "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Biting his lip (and then forcing himself to stop. It was a bad habit of his.), Ranulf stammered, "No, of course not! But... I dunno... Like... This is embarrassing, but..."

"Ugh... I have... dreams about other guys... And it depresses me."

Mr. Lance's face flittered between understanding and embarrassed. "Oh... Oh! Well, don't worry too much. I can understand, as a young, hormon—"

Blushing deeply, Ranulf burst out, "No! I meant... dreams where I ask someone out, or someone asks me out, or we're just... hugging."

"Oh... Ah, pardon me, I jumped to conclusions." Mr. Lance smiled apologetically. Subconsciously Ranulf thought, _Why does he smile so much? It's kind of creepy. Ack. Focus Ranulf, someone's talking to you._

"Urm... Well... I also have those other types of dreams." Ranulf felt bad in a way at the teacher's apologetic look, and said the first thing that came to mind. _Real smooth, boy._

_Oh shut up._

To his credit, Mr. Lance didn't seem perturbed at all. "Fair enough. So... these dreams... Do they upset you because you want a boyfriend? They remind you of what you don't have?" the teacher asked, concern etched in his face.

"Y-Yeah... I just... feel really lonely sometimes. And not only that, but with friends as well... I mean, I used to be really outgoing and talkative, but now... ever since I switched schools I've found it hard to make connections," Ranulf blurted.

"Well, I can say this. You will meet other people, and you will make friends. You will find someone out there who will be lucky to find you. I understand that you have quite the unique personality," he consoled gently.

Sighing, Ranulf nodded glumly. Attempting to cheer the boy up, the man offered him a bucket full of lollipops. "Would you like some? I have far too many. Barely any students come by. I suppose that's a good thing though. Take a couple!" Mr. Lance laughed. "These are my comfort treats," he explained.

"Oh... Uh, thanks." Ranulf took a few and put them in his pocket, while unwrapping one and popping it in his mouth.

"Really though... I can relate to you. When I was in high school, I felt lonely too, much more so than others. I sat alone during lunches, went to school, did my work, and went back home. This continued into university, and I still didn't feel great at all. Others went out and partied while I stayed home... But anyways, one day, when I had basically given up hope, one day I bumped into this boy. He was running to his university class and had knocked into me real hard. We both tumbled to the ground, and from then on whenever he saw me he was... competitive. He saw me as a rival of sorts. It was quite ridiculous actually." Mr. Lance paused as if expecting a response. It was hard to tell in Ranulf's opinion, to be honest.

"...Cool," Ranulf offered, quite eloquently.

The teacher laughed lightly in understanding. "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Well, that boy continued to compete a one-sided competition with me. He always got annoyed when I scored better than him, and so he made me enter track and field for a bit. I didn't want to at first, but he kept pestering me until I did, so I finally joined. Though he laughed at me quite loudly and triumphantly whenever he beat me in races."

Mr. Lance adjusted his glasses. "Anyways, I ended up coming to the track meets and practices, not to train or compete, but to cheer him on and watch. There was this one race in particular, a nationals competition. He had been training for over a month for it, just to get a spot to qualify for the race. I remember that day, and though I hadn't realized it at the time, I was nervous for him too. When the race was over and he had placed 3rd, I remember cheering and jumping up, because I was just so proud of him. And when he came up to me, after the awards ceremony, with his bronze trophy in hand, I basically threw myself at him and kissed him. And ever since then we've been boyfriends," Mr. Lance finished.

"Woah... How long have you guys been together?" Ranulf asked, amazed. His bright green eyes had widened as he leaned forward, interested.

"We've known each other for almost 9 years." The teacher stated fondly. "But my point was this: your time will come, and you will have an amazing time too. You'll feel livelier and everything will seem so much more bright. But for now, you just need to keep on going, and keep on trying. I know it can be hard, but you have a wonderful friend by you. I don't know about your family situation, but—"

"Oh, they're great. They're awesome actually," Ranulf said proudly.

"Well, that's even better then. All of them are there for you. And I want you to know that I'm here for you too. Anything we talk about is confidential, and if you need extra resources, like referrals, or anything you might be embarrassed about, you can talk to me about it, and I can help you out. In any case... I've noticed you've been absent quite a lot. Sorry, but I think it's important I bring these school things up. Is there anything bothering you about school?" Mr. Lance questioned.

"Um... Not really. I've just been feeling pretty down a lot. So those days I stay home in bed."

Letting out a sigh, Mr. Lance tentatively asked, "Forgive me but I feel I should ask... Are you depressed?" Ranulf nodded.

"It's okay though... I mean... I'm seeing a doctor, and my family knows, it's all good."

Mr. Lance acknowledged, "Well, that's wonderful actually. I just wanted to make sure you were getting good support. From a school point of view, as well as a social point of view, it would be best to be at school rather than at home. If there's anything I can do to help you I'd be happy to. Though it might be hard to get to school, it really is the best place for opportunity and growth to happen. Not at home. In fact..." Mr. Lance broke off into thought.

He sat up straighter and leaned forward slightly, offering, "What do you think of this? I'm going to send a note to your teachers stating that I'm working with you, that they shouldn't be hard on you for absences and that they should be lenient with your school work. They have to abide by what I say, by law, and I won't divulge any information about our conversations. That should make school easier... Would that make it easier for you to go to school more often? Ideally, I'd like to see you here as much as possible."

At the teen's hesitance, he prompted gently, "You won't be the only student this has been done for, by far. This is much more common than people think..."

Ranulf nodded gratefully, his reluctance disappearing. "That'd be... really helpful, 'cause I've been away a lot... and the work piles up. It's not hard but... I procrastinate a lot," he let out a sardonic laugh.

"Consider it done then! It seems like you feel better now... Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Ranulf shook his head, his short blond locks barely moving from the motion. "I just wanted to say thank you, though... For all of this. It's... really nice to talk about these things."

"Well, to be honest, I'm very happy to help you. If someone had made me talk to a counsellor I'd probably have been happier when I was at high school. Anyways, I'll let your teachers know, but drop in whenever you feel like it, even if I'm not here. I like this space to be a place where students feel safe, even if I'm not here with them. And, oh, don't worry about the English quiz tomorrow. I've decided to postpone it actually... I just feel bad that other students will have studied." Mr. Lance ran his hand through his hair sheepishly.

"Well... Again, thank you so much! I feel a lot better now. I'll try and come to school lots more... I know it's not good to dwell at home."

"Really, don't worry too much. I just want you to feel better. Just do what you can, I know what it's like feeling down and lonely."

Standing up and stretching, Ranulf made his way to the door. "Thanks again! See ya." As he opened the door, he saw a red patch of hair. "Oh... Mr. Lance, Mr. Braxe is waiting outside your office..." He called out back into the office.

"Oh! Uh, thank you. Could you let him know that I'm free now?"

"Okay!" Ranulf approached the Math teacher, who, upon further inspection, was drooling and fast asleep. "Uh..." Ranulf nudged him softly.

Waking with a snort, Mr. Braxe sprung up and thundered, "Curses! The prince needs rescuing! How dare you sneak up on — Oh. Uh. Sorry, I was dreaming. ...Hi, um, student. Is Oscar free now?"

"Um, Mr. Lance is free, yeah..." Ranulf said.

"Great! Okay, see you around, er... What's your name?"

"Ranulf."

"Okay! See you Ranulf!" he said cheerily albeit in a rush as he practically ran towards Mr. Lance's office. Once inside, the door practically slammed shut and Ranulf could swear he heard the sound of the lock turning. Feeling a bit bemused and out of place, he walked outside, and saw that the rain had disappeared. He smiled softly as he began to walk home.


	2. Sass and Kiss

When he arrived home, he was surprised to see Kyza there as well. His first inkling that something was odd was when he found a pair of shoes neatly placed by the front of the door.

"Oh, Ranulf! A friend is here for you, but the poor dear was waiting outside, so I invited him in instead," his mom gushed. Almost as if she... approved. It was probably because he was so proper and polite.

_Ugh. No offense, Kyza, yeah, you're built, yeah, you're good looking, but you're just not my type. You're too... pompous. _Going up to his room, he saw that Kyza was in fact in his house. Ranulf wondered what could have compelled him to visit. Sure, they were friends... but they hadn't really talked to each other in... well, a year, actually. The most they'd talk was at school, about assignments, or other small topics of conversation. Ranulf didn't know when they had began to distance themselves from one another.

As Ranulf neared his room, he saw that things were a bit too tidy. A fallen pencil placed parallel to the desk here, a pile of papers organized neatly there... He hadn't left his room like that before. And sitting innocently at his desk was Kyza. And... His laptop, which he had left at home that day, had a small light emitting from it, indicating that it was turned on. Ranulf wasn't an idiot. Kyza was snooping, or something to that effect.

Casually he greeted Kyza, who responded in turn. After forcing himself to exchange pleasantries with the oh-so-slick Kyza, he tried to get him to open up about why he had come in a nonchalant manner. "So... Were you using my laptop? I remember I left it turned off this morning." Ranulf looked at him sideways through his peripheral vision, trying to see if Kyza reacted.

Kyza paled slightly. "Well, you know... I had to do something while I waited for you. What took you so long anyways? I had to walk Lyre home, so I thought by the time I came here you'd surely be home."

Inwardly, Ranulf rolled his eyes. _Tch, he can't change the conversation just like _that. He innocently turned towards Kyza, who averted his eyes nervously. "I just had to run around and get some homework from teachers. But anyways, why'd you visit today? We haven't hung out for a long time now."

Examining his neat nails, Kyza noted, "Well, it's not like you've hung out with anyone recently, have you? You've started to distance yourself. I'm not going to lie, Lyre's concerned about you. A lot." Watching Ranulf from the corners of his eyes for his reaction, Kyza tried to subtly hint, "It must be nice to have such a pretty girl concern herself over you..."

Outwardly rolling his eyes now, Ranulf leaned back on his bed's headboard, pretending to relax. "I don't really care, to be honest. It is very sweet of her, though. But I can deal with stuff myself. She has her own issues, I have mine. We don't mix them up, it's easier that way."

"But have you ever thought that she would want that from her best friend?" Kyza leaned forward, interested in what Ranulf would say.

Ranulf shrugged, "Girls are hard to deal with, in general. That's why I generally like g—" Ranulf caught himself, and swallowed. "Haha, sorry. I feel a little sick, I think I have a cold. Anyways, I like girls who are upfront."

Now it was Kyza's turn to roll his eyes. "You're lying. You always were a terrible fibber."

Ranulf scoffed, and retorted, "Look who's talking. I can tell whenever you lie or hide things all the time." Smirking, he began to insinuate slowly, "Such as right now. I could tell if you were hiding something... Doing _something_ you shouldn't have... _Snooping_..." He trailed off and made full eye contact with Kyza, waiting for him to respond.

After a while, Kyza shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze, and Ranulf sighed and dropped the subject. Things almost seemed to be normal between them, just as before... Running a hand through his short yet messy hair, Ranulf sighed, "You know, I miss it when just you and me used to hang out. And... Okay, let's just be upfront. I know you were snooping around. For what though? I can't imagine. Well, actually I can, but I'd rather not go there. Well, maybe I will, unless you tell me." After a full minute, though it felt like forever to Ranulf, of Kyza avoiding his eyes and coughing awkwardly, Ranulf began to spiel, "Sooo... What were you looking for, condoms? Porn? Sex toys?"

At that, Kyza coughed and spluttered, "Of course not! That's — I'm not like that!" After regaining his composure, he decided to just tell Ranulf the truth. Ranulf was never really judgemental. "I was... checking to... learn more about you."

"Wh-What? What the heck, you're a freaky creep! A creepy freak! Are you a stalker or something?" Ranulf babbled, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Sorry. I worded that misleadingly. I didn't intend to intrude on your privacy, and I acted rashly. I still... can't apologize for the action itself. I need to do what I can to get what I want. If that's all, good day, Ranulf." Kyza began to rise out of his chair, but Ranulf shoved him back down exasperatedly.

"I'm all confused now! If you wanted to know something about me, why not just ask?" Ranulf was having a mini spaz-fest, his voice rising in agitation.

Kyza laughed comfortably, undeterred. His sapphire eyes flashed towards Ranulf's coolly. "In all fairness to myself, Ranulf, you haven't responded favourably or agreeably to the line of that topic before. I did what I had to, to minimize both of our feelings of embarrassment, as well as to keep everything under wraps." Kyza resigned himself to sitting once more, and sat as though expecting to be sitting for a while.

"Uh... I am sooo lost right now." Ranulf said with a somewhat dazed look, his eyebrows crumpled.

With Ranulf caught off guard, Kyza decided to take his chances and try to leave. "Well, good. We don't have to talk about it. If you could lock the door after I leave..."

Though Kyza didn't know it, he had snapped Ranulf's patience with his evasive words. Now, Ranulf's curiousity was overflowing. "Hey, hey! Hold on a moment, you talk in circles all day, it's tiring. I'd say you should be a politician, but I won't. Now I really wanna know what this is all about." _Oh, whoops. I guess I already did say it._

Getting up, and shrugging Ranulf's attempts to sit him back down as if he were a tree that Ranulf was trying to blow away, he started to make his way to the door, but not before Ranulf closed it and leaned against it. "Ranulf, this is ridiculous. Come downstairs with me and lock the door," Kyza said abruptly, while trying to drag Ranulf away from the door.

"No!" Ranulf whined annoyingly.

Tugging on his arm, Kyza insisted, "Haven't you ever heard that curiousity killed the cat?"

"I'm not a cat, now, am I?" Ranulf remarked as cheekily as one could while being pulled away from a door.

Panicking, as Kyza pinned Ranulf to his bed and lay there, content with doing nothing but sit on his friend, Ranulf struggled to maneuver out of his position. As he did so, his hips brushed against his bed several times. To be specific, his pelvic... area. Ranulf started to blush and tried to pretend nothing was happening. "Let me go! G-Get off my back! Lay off the bacon, you pig! ...Yeah, you're a cannibal pig freak!" He yelled as loud as one could whilst being sat upon, which was not that loud at all. Kyza looked at him innocently before gazing at the ceiling as though a fascinating Renaissance painting were hung from it. "Y-You idiot! I'm so mad right now, seriously!"

Glancing down, Kyza noted Ranulf's expression and glanced down briefly, before understanding reflected on his face, and mirth began dancing in his eyes uncharacteristically. "You don't look mad. You seem... quite happy, if you catch my drift." Kyza teased.

"Agh, I hate you!"

* * *

><p>Lyre hummed to herself as she took a shower. She was quite happy that things might start to get better.<em> And it's all thanks to me and Kyza!<em> she thought contentedly. As her thoughts began to wander, she came up with a startling, yet fascinating discovery. _Kyza _could_ be a candidate_! _But... Well... Hey, no one can compete versus Ranulf. C'mon, girl, don't be silly._

_But he's a different kind of guy than_ _Ranulf, _a small voice she called Reason at the very, very back of her head reasoned. The other 99% of her brain countered indignantly, _But it's Ranulf! _RANULF. _You're crazy if you think they're equal._

_Well, we are the same person._

_Guys, guys, shut up! I'm trying to think!_ She scolded herself and mentally slapped both voices._ Yes ma'am, _her brain voices replied sullenly.

_Okay, le'see here... Kyza is a gentleman, no doubt about that. Mom would totally approve, so that's one thing he's got going for him._

_Hey, hey, are you trash-talkin' my Ranny? Who cares what Mom thinks, Ranulf is Ranulf, if you get to marry him, no one cares what Mom thinks!_

Lyre rolled her eyes at herself._ You guys are sooo immature._

_Look who's talking,_ her sassy side named Sassy said to her.

_Oooh, good one. You should be a comedian, 'cause you're the funniest joke I've ever heard!_

_Kitty's got claws_, Sassy remarked, as if raising an eyebrow in impressment.

_Yeah, yeah, I know I'm feisty. I know I'm awesome. _At that, Sassy and Reason high fived.

Ignoring her crazy mind for the time being, she thought wistfully, _I wonder what Ranulf's doing right now..._

* * *

><p>Ranulf just lay on his bed dejectedly, his 'happy' problem long gone, replaced by boredom. Kyza, in his graciousness, allowed Ranulf small liberties of movement. He also shifted his weight every few minutes so that he didn't crush the smaller boy.<p>

"Kyzaaaaa..." Ranulf whined pathetically. _Wow, he's really good at making people feel bad for him, _Kyza noted absentmindedly.

"Sorry Ranulf, but I'm not getting off until you let me leave without a fuss," Kyza emphasized with a frown.

"But I'm not letting you leave, so we're gonna be here forever... I'm soo hungry anyways, I didn't eat the whole day, you're starving me Kyza! And you're crushing me! I'm gonna have back problems 'cause you weigh as much as a McDonald's diet —"

"What? Why didn't you eat anything? Ranulf, that's not good. This is all silly. You're going downstairs, you're going to eat, and you're going to let me leave." Kyza got off and offered his hand to Ranulf, as if convinced that Ranulf would just let everything drop. Scowling, Ranulf swatted the hand away weakly and pouted stubbornly, "No!", causing Kyza to snort at the other's antics. "Ranulf, I'm serious. You have to eat."

"Yeah, well, you know what you have to do? You have to tell me whatever you're hiding!" Ranulf finished lamely.

Letting out an exasperated breath, Kyza sat down on the bed beside Ranulf, who rolled over onto his stomach. "I'm sorry, Ranulf, but I'm not going to tell you, and that's final." Pausing, he glanced beside himself and saw Ranulf leaning over the bed. "Ranulf? What are you doi—Hey! Don't look at that!"

Ranulf looked up with a mild expression before he resumed flipping through a black, plain book with a bored look. _Who does he think he is, looking through _MY personal_ journal_, Kyza fumed. "Hey, whoa, I didn't know you liked Heather. You know she's a lesbian right? No offense," the blond said, "Just a fact."

As he flipped another page, his eyes widened in incredulousness. "Oh-ho, what's this? Now you're talking about Jill! Jill Fizzart? She's a lesbian too! Or, at least, she was making out with a girl like full on. Granted, she was wasted drunk, supposedly, but I'm thinking she just used the alcohol as an excuse! Kyza, my man, you have terrible luck." Ranulf made a sad face with mock pity, before returning his attention to the book once more, now interested greatly. As a side note he added, "Or maybe you're into that kind of thing," wiggling his eyebrows suggestively before letting out a snort.

Feeling his eye twitch with annoyance, he tried to recollect his scattered mind and then stated dead-seriously, "Give me that. Now." In response to his somber voice, Ranulf looked up with equal solemness, and stubbornly refused.

"Not until you tell me what you're hiding."

Snarling with real anger, Kyza quickly wrapped his arms around Ranulf and pinned him to the bed once more. "H-Hey! Don't... Don't get so close!" Ranulf panicked. Up close, he saw just how deep and dark blue Kyza's eyes were. Almost a light purple, like lilac. Swallowing, he tried to rid himself of the thought, though a large part of him couldn't focus on anything but that fact. Vaguely he was aware of Kyza struggling to simultaneously keep him pinned while getting his journal back. Though part of his mind screamed at him to stop, the vast majority of his mind wasn't functioning. Unconsciously Ranulf drifted closer to Kyza, who had now retrieved his journal and was breathing heavily. At the back of Ranulf's mind he subconsciously noted that Kyza looked confused.

Then, without thinking, he closed the distance and pressed their lips together.


	3. Strangers and Events

_How did this even happen... _Ike stared blankly at his car, brutally wrecked beyond repair. _Mist is going to be so annoyed now that she doesn't have anyone to drive her around. _Looking around, he noticed... nothing out of the ordinary. No one looking around guiltily. _I guess the culprit just ran off. I don't exactly blame him or her... I could sue them a hell of a lot. _Moving closer, he examined his trashed car, which almost resembled a large-scale ball of crumpled tin foil.

Only one thought persisted in his brain as he stared at the car, ruined beyond fixing and salvation. _I can't believe I didn't get insurance... Dad's gonna kill me._

Rather than deal with the harsh reality, the raven-haired male made his way dejectedly out of the side street he was in, and hailed a taxi down.

"Hello, to the nearest bar please." As if it was a common occurence, the driver shrugged casually, his shoulders shifting slightly, before the taxi began to move.

* * *

><p>"An-An' then I was like, 'Yo dude, I'm like, not a gurl o-okay?' Hic. I swear, Gay-tree, people are so <em>stupid<em> these days, they assume th-that looong hair means yur a gurl."

Ike fell over laughing uncontrollably, as if Shinon had told the funniest joke he had ever heard. Glaring to the spot beside Ike's head, Shinon slurred almost incoherently, "Hey buddy, you better watch it. Hic." Gatrie sighed, and didn't bother correcting Shinon on the correct pronunciation of his name. It was only 6 PM, and Shinon and Ike were totally wasted. _Although, _he mused, _Shinon can never hold his liquor._

Gatrie was brought out of his thoughts by a thoroughly drunk, brown-haired teen that crashed into him, who looked to be 18 or 19. Too drunk to apologize, the man unsteadily got onto his feet and wobbled over to to Shinon, asking in a playful voice, "Hey baby, wassup?"

Gatrie groaned as Shinon spun his head around, his long, red locks slapping the flirty drunk man across the face. "I'm not a girl! You think you're tough? I can take you!" Shinon snapped angrily before leaning over and barfing. _It's going to be a long night, _Gatrie thought defeatedly as he massaged his temples.

* * *

><p>Time seemed to stop for just this one moment, as Ranulf embraced with Kyza, their lips engaged. After a few tentative seconds, Ranulf slipped his tongue in Kyza's mouth, moving his hands to caress Kyza's face, before he was softly pushed away by a disoriented Kyza.<p>

"I-I..." Ranulf had never felt so scared and insecure in his life. His secret was out. Kyza could out him to the world if he wanted. Heck, Kyza probably hated him right now.

But Kyza turned to him and gazed at him gently as one would to an infant, his voice soothing and unusually soft. "Ranulf... You don't have to worry."

Feeling himself tear up, Ranulf choked back a sob, before Kyza's body leaned forward and embraced him in a tight hug. "It's okay... Everything will be okay..."

* * *

><p>After a while, Ranulf's sobs began to quiet down, and his body stopped shaking. Soothingly, Kyza rubbed Ranulf's back one last time before he let go of him, saying, "Sorry... I really, really have to go to the washroom. I'll be back."<p>

"'Kay," he received as a glum response. Kyza exited the room, leaving Ranulf alone in his room. He sniffed, and shuffled himself across his bed so that Kyza would have more room when he returned. _I wonder if his kindness will... disappear._

At that moment, Kyza reentered, leaving no more room for Ranulf to wonder about possibilities of the future. "Ranulf... I think it'd be good if we talked right now. Is that all right?"

"Yeah..." He replied in a subdued voice, already imagining scenarios of rejection and outright hatred and disgust.

"Ranulf... This won't change anything between us. If... I have to be frank... I kind of wondered if you were gay before. Many times, actually."

Looking horrified and scandalized, Ranulf replied, aghast, "What? How? Am I obvious?"

Kyza averted his eyes uncomfortably. "Well... I kind of just could tell because you've never been on a date with a girl before, and people have asked you out before. Besides that, you could easily ask out any girl you like. Not to mention that sometimes you're... pretty bashful with other males. It's kind of obvious you check out guys, like Mordecai."

With his face burning, Ranulf endeavoured to change the topic. "W-Well, anyways... Will you tell me what you've been hiding?" He questioned with a tentative grin.

"Oh, all right. I was... Searching your laptop and room to see if there would be any clues about what your sexuality was." Now Kyza was trying really hard to avoid eye contact with Ranulf. In a way, Ranulf was glad, as he felt more embarrassed than he had ever felt in his life.

"T-That's a breach of privacy! ...D-Did you... Find anything?" Ranulf almost seemed to not want to hear the answer as he half-covered his ears and winced, bracing himself.

Coughing, Kyza replied, "Urm... Yes. I found a list of gay... sites in your bookmarks. But I wasn't sure if you were bisexual, so I had to keep on looking, and..."

"What? Just say it, I'm dying of embarrassment already." Ranulf hid his face behind his pillow as if it would mitigate the shame he felt.

"Er, th-that's it really. You came home before I could search anymore. Even still, since I couldn't find any... 'straight' material, it seemed obvious that you were gay. Or at the very least, _highly_ curious."

Feeling a bit less embarrassed, Ranulf then realized that he had no idea why Kyza would care about his sexuality. "So wait, _why_ did you do all this? It's pretty devious of you. What's it to you who I like?" he stated defensively.

Kyza blushed, his cheeks tinging with red, and stammered, "Well, I was just worried about my... romantic prospects... versus you."

Snorting, Ranulf laughed derisively, looking at him knowingly, teasingly. "So you were worried that I'd steal _someone _away from you?" His tone indicated that he already knew who this somebody was.

Kyza nodded dumbly, before Ranulf collapsed in a fit of laughter. "Oh, oh, this is hilarious! It's like irony, or something! No offense, but girls gross me out. I mean, I like them as people and all, but their... 'things'," he gestured to his mid-region and chest, "Are pretty gross. No offense."

Sighing, Kyza then remarked, "...Hey. All this must have happened for a reason. Let's not just ignore everything that's happened."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ranulf looked confused.

"I mean that we should go with it, and hang out more often. Now you have a friend you can completely be yourself with. Doesn't that sound appealing to you?"

Ranulf turned his head to the side, thoughtful. He had never thought of it like that. "But, doesn't it bother you that I'm... You know..."

Exasperated, Kyza replied, "No, it doesn't. Contrary to what you believe, coming out will _not _make the sky rain blood, or make the moon fall onto your house, or make the sun turn blu—"

"It _does _kinda look blue when you look at it for a long time," Ranulf cut in petulantly.

Kyza snorted, "I'm sure it does. Now that we're clear on the matter, why don't you go eat and let me out, hm?"

Grinning, Ranulf cheekily insisted, "No, you're sleeping over," with a look behind the teasing in his eyes that said he was serious.

"Well, if you insist..." Kyza said with a sigh. Ranulf's eyes lit up as he babbled thanks in as many languages as he knew, most of them in butchered pronunciations. Kyza shook his head with a small smile as he forced Ranulf downstairs and they made their way down to the kitchen for some food.

* * *

><p>Ike didn't know how it had happened. He thought he remembered flashes of asking a brown-haired, good-looking boy around his age back to his apartment, flashes of clothes taken off, hasty and sloppy kisses, desire building... Gulping, Ike looked beside him at the boy in question, who was snoring loudly, fast asleep. <em>Ugh... This is exactly why I should never get drunk, <em>he reminded himself in a reprimanding tone. Moving around slightly, he searched around the bed for telltale signs of a condom being used. As his eyes landed upon a torn packet, he sighed in relief. _At least I did that._

His movement had shifted the bed sheets so that he could get a better look of his bed mate's bare body. He was fairly built, Ike noted. As Ike left the bed to get some clothes, he heard some ruffling noises behind him, indicating that the other boy had begun to rouse. A pause in the sound elapsed before an incredulous voice let out hoarsely, in disbelief, "...The fuc—Who're you? Wha—Did we h—I was on the bottom...?"

"Hi, I'm Ike." Ike offered sheepishly, extending a hand in greeting.

"Tch, is that the first thing you say to the people you bed in the morning?" the boy snorted, his dark green eyes narrowed in disgust, glittering dangerously.

Defensively, Ike retorted, "Hey, it was consensual! I mean, sorta... We were both drunk. Can we just pretend this never happened? I think I used a condom, if that helps."

His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh yes, that makes everything better, doesn't it." Wincing as he uprighted himself, he sighed in resignation and demanded childishly, "Bring me to the shower and buy me some McDonald's. Lots of it. Make sure it's still hot when I come out! I like long, hot showers."

Ike scoffed, but went over to the other male and supported him, as they both walked to the shower. As they walked, the other guy still was babbling. "_Don't_microwave the fries if they're cold and you come back early, either! I'll be able to tell," he ended ominously, prompting Ike to snort.

Leaving him at the shower, Ike stated, "The towel's here, and there's some shower gel and shampoo in there. When you're done, get your clothes or whatever and wait, if I'm not already here. I'm gonna go get us breakf—Oh. It's lunch actually."

Brightening up, the brown-haired man asked excitedly, "Wow, I didn't expect you to agree so easily! Can you get me 2 Big Macs? ...Big Mac meals, I meant. And, uh, a large coke. And large fries. ...For both of them." Ike nodded, and the other male smiled, his scowl all-but-gone. "Uh... Sorry for being a bit irritable. I'm just sore and... maybe hungover. My name's Boyd."

Smiling, Ike offered, "Nice to meet you, Boyd. I'll be back in a bit."

* * *

><p>At McDonald's, Ike went in and ordered his food and Boyd's. While he was waiting, he noticed two boys enter the restaurant. One of the boys, the larger one, had neat, light and sandy brown hair, and indigo eyes, with broad shoulders and a built physique. The other one, who was slim, had short and messy blond hair as if he had left it that way after he had woken up, and lively, piercing green eyes. The blond boy was chatting animatedly to his friend, who seemed exasperated and tired. Noticing the man watching them, the larger boy's eyes narrowed before he moved as if to shield the other boy from Ike's gaze, while the blond boy looked confused for a moment before smirking at the thought of another guy checking him out. <em>Things really are looking up, <em>Ranulf thought to himself bemusedly.

As the pair moved to line up, Ike's deep blue eyes locked with the blond boy's. For a moment, Ike felt something... different about the other boy. He could swear the other boy felt something too, as he stiffened; not from fright, it seemed, but from entrancement. The connection was intense yet soft, piercing yet gentle. The raven-haired man had never felt anything like it before.

The moment passed as a fussy customer came between their gaze, muttering about complaining to the manager for receiving a cheeseburger instead of a hamburger. Kyza noticed Ranulf's odd behaviour, and lowered his voice, asking quietly, "Is that man harassing you?" Ranulf shook his head, still not fully thinking. _His eyes are such a nice blue... _Ranulf thought dreamily. Kyza rolled his eyes. He supposed that Ranulf was a bit smitten with the stranger, if the blush flecking his cheeks was any indication.

"Sir, your two Big Mac meals, and the McRib meal," the lady at the till prompted a bit impatiently at the ogling man.

"O-Oh, yes. Thank you." Ike clumsily took the bags and soft drinks, his hands full.

As he walked to the door of the restaurant, he realized he would have trouble opening the door, as well as getting to his car. Before he could think any further, a low tenor voice chirped, "Need any help?" Looking up, he found himself staring into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Inwardly, he shook his head, then nodded mutely. _Great... He probably thinks I'm some awkward guy who eats fast food a lot._

Ranulf confidently pushed on the door, but it wouldn't budge. Feeling lost, Ranulf found himself pushing harder and more frantically. He panicked a bit, scared that the hot man would find him to be an idiot, until Kyza's hands placed themselves over his, and pulled gently on the door handle. _Oh... I'm such an idiot, _Ranulf ridiculed himself, resisting the urge to face-palm himself. Kyza's hands still lingered onto Ranulf's softer hands as they both held the door open for the man. Turning his head away from the hot stranger, Ranulf's reddened face turned to regard Kyza's with an irritated glare. _What are you doing? Let go of my hands! _his eyes seemed to say, infuriated.

In return, Kyza seemed to shrug as if he didn't care what Ranulf thought, before saying to the stranger, "My boyfriend and I would be delighted to assist you to your car."

The older man seemed a bit surprised at the revelation, though Ranulf was even more shocked, as well as furious. _Who does this cockblock think he is? _he thought, enraged. A tiny voice at the back of his mind, which was easily ignored, said rationally and reasonably, _He's just looking out for you._

They helped the man place all the food in his car safely, before Kyza abruptly said goodbye, and steered Ranulf back to the restaurant.

Once out of the man's hearing range, Ranulf exploded, "What was that for? I was just being friendly, and you had to get all mother-hen-like on me! Or, rather, cockblock-y! Kyza the cockblock," he fumed with a snort. Calming down, he muttered bitterly, "Just 'cause of that, I'm gonna make Lyre think you're some sort of kinky sexual deviant. He was probably interested in me! That's like a bigger deal than me winning a thousand bucks! Well, sort of..."

Kyza pretended to not care, though inside he was panicking. Laughing, Ranulf hit his shoulder lightly, before he sighed wistfully, "I wish I had a thousand dollars..." They continued their day without further drama as the man from the restaurant started drifting towards the back of Ranulf's mind.

Kyza was dimly aware of Ranulf going into explicit detail of how exactly Kyza was a sexual deviant, taking great pleasure in proclaiming for all to hear. Though he would have cared more at any other time, Kyza was more worried about the handsome man from just a few minutes past. He seemed to so easily captivate Ranulf. _If all guys affect him like this... I'm going to have to be around him 24/7, _he groaned with a sigh.

Ranulf continued to ramble, "And, and, you like it when, after the girls stuck the spoons up there, they pull them out of you, and they're covered in your crap, and then you love it when you lick the spoons clean and swap spit with the girls. And then you—"

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop!" the lady at the till exclaimed indignantly, her cheeks flushed red, her hair unkempt from indignation. Probably. Kyza certainly hoped so, at least. Sighing as if used to Ranulf's quirky antics, Kyza picked up their bags with one hand and guided (_or pushed_, Ranulf pouted) a protesting Ranulf, who had the drinks in tow as they were roughly placed in his arms, to the door.

* * *

><p>Back at the apartment, though it had taken him a bit longer to manage bringing all the food and drinks alone, Ike and Boyd were sitting and eating. Curious, Ike decided to boldly ask, "So, are you bisexual, or...?"<p>

Boyd almost choked on his mouth-full of fries. Coughing, he spluttered, "No! I'm... bicurious."

"Sure..." Ike deadpanned.

Boyd, impassioned, claimed, "That's a real thing! Look it up! And seriously, girls are hot, can't get enough of them and their hot bodies, soft brea-"

"Okay, I get it. I was just curious. Personally, I'm gay, but whatever."

Boyd, in a rare display of thought in their few sober minutes of knowing each other, chewed and swallowed his food before asking slowly, "So... Um... Do you have a boyfriend?"

At the sound of the word, Ike's thoughts automatically drifted to the boy from earlier. Aloud, he said, "No, but I'd like to have one."

Tentatively, Boyd then responded, "So... I'm single, you're single, I'm hot, you're sorta hot too... I mean, well, pretty decent, could be better... but I can settle for less for now. We should get to know each other more." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a smirk. "What do you think?"

"What do you mean, exactly? Like go on dates?"

"...I'm not gonna say yes, but sort of. C'mon, you've never seen a guy as hot as me before, have you? And as a bonus, I also played football in high school! Everyone loves football players." He puffed his admittedly rather broad chest out and claimed proudly, "I was _almost_ the quarterback." He started to grumble, "Stupid Sothe. He just _had_ to bulk up for the last year, tch, and he wasn't even that fast... _I_ should've been quarterback!"

Rolling his eyes at the other's ego, Ike thought for a moment, before agreeing. _Hey, if I can't have guys as cute as that blond, might as well indulge till something better comes along, _he thought to himself. "But hey, just so we're clear, if something comes up for either of us, we can still go out and date other people. Is that right?"

Boyd nodded, replying, "Yep! Then we're golden." He frowned slightly as he finished a box of fries, before he shrugged and reached into his bag for the other one. As he put it onto the table, he brought up hesitantly, "By the way... I actually don't think we... did 'it'. D-Don't ask me how I know!" His face burned an impressive shade of red as he averted his eyes.

Bemused, Ike shrugged. "Okay, I won't. I guess that's a good thing, though? I don't usually pick up guys that way, whatever you might think of me." His hesitant smile turned into a twitch as Boyd ignored him and took a big bite of his burger.

After, they continued to eat quietly. Ike absentmindedly played around with his cell phone, and was startled when it vibrated.

_Ur soo screwd Ike! I told u 2 get insurance, bt noo. Ur gonna pay 4 this, literally&figuratively. Dad says he's not paying 4 a new one 4 u. He says u have 2 work 4 it, so he set u up 4 an appointment w his old secretary. U no, the scary, short 1. He's soo not happy with u. Y didn't u call ysterday after it happend? Dad hd 2 find out from Gatrie wut happened, ur lucky it wasn't Shinon who was tlkng, he wud've __made u sound evn worse then u alredy r!_

Groaning, Ike felt a headache coming fast and hard. A few seconds later, his phone buzzed again.

_I'm glad ur safe though =). __PS Now I can't get driven 2 places anymore. U still owe me, so find a new ride 4 me! LOL but seriously. If u don't, I'm gonna tell dad that u did u-know-wut last summer._

As impossible as it was, Ike felt his headache worsen even more.

* * *

><p>After Kyza had left, Ranulf bounded downstairs, jumping the last few steps and slipping a bit, but not quite. His mom asked him about his day at school yesterday, and how lunch had been. Ranulf told her happily, a fact that she was quick to notice. "I think hanging around Kyza is good for you. You two used to hang out all the time... Hang out with him more, okay, Ranulf?" she asked with a genuine smile, though it seemed like it was more of a gentle command.<p>

"Don't worry, I was going to anyways! I'm gonna go nap now, though, see you." Ranulf made his way upstairs and flopped on his bed. Hugging his poofy pillow, he fell asleep within a few minutes, with dreams of a certain blue-eyed, charming stranger from McDonald's in his mind.


	4. Meetings and Plans

Ike gulped, and mentally prepared himself for his appointment with Soren. Though he really did care underneath his aloof, cool exterior, he still had an unnerving presence when it came to business matters with his no-nonsense demeanour, despite his small stature. His short size only seemed to intensify his fury on those whom he unleashed it upon. Ike still remembered his high school years, in which he had partnered up with Soren most of the time for projects. Soren would almost always end up doing the projects by himself, while Ike was distracted by other guys, parties, and in general, an aversion to mental work. Though he always complained and scolded Ike, Ike supposed that Soren probably didn't have many other friends, which would explain why Soren kept coming back to Ike for projects, though he did grumble about the unfairness of it all.

Ike raised his hand to knock on the plain-looking door, but before he did, a surly voice from within called curtly, "You can come in, Ike."

Somewhat surprised (though if he thought about it, Soren always knew many things. Ike called his friend eerily observant. Soren retorted that Ike was merely too busy ogling guys' bodies to notice his surroundings and happenings. Ike didn't have a comeback to that.), Ike turned the handle and walked inside slowly. He hoped that Soren was in a good mood, though judging from his voice, a sure indicator, he was not.

Regarding him from the leather chair seated at the mahogany desk with a critical, narrowed gaze was Soren. His raven hair was still neatly kept in long strands, and his hazel eyes were as cold as always. "I don't see why you had to stand outside for a whole two minutes. You know I don't bite."

Coughing, Ike muttered a hasty apology as he sat at the chair across from Soren's. Though Soren was observant about others, he didn't seem to notice his own behaviour as coming across as strict and frigidly cold. "Uh, yeah, well... Anyways, what are we meeting about?" He replied nervously, hoping the subject change would distract Soren. Business always distracted him.

Soren made no show of hiding his exasperation, as he rolled his eyes. "If you had read the email I had sent you, you would have known what our meeting was about. But since I anticipated the _extremely_,"Soren paused and looked the sheepish Ike directly in the eyes for a moment, "Likely event that you _did not_ read the email, I decided to postpone my other meetings I had this afternoon in favour of allowing us to have more time. You should be thankful your father specifically asked me to do this. Otherwise I would be... _Delighted_ to charge you extra for inconvenience's sake, as well as how much trouble you've caused me throughout my _entire _life."

Inwardly, he scoffed slightly at his friend's frosty facade, and tendency to place a bit too much emphasis on words a bit too often. "Well, let's get started then," he offered.

Giving no sign that he had heard what Ike had said, Soren shuffled through the neat piles of folders and documents upon his desk. Frowning slightly, he picked one particularly large folder up, and regarded it with a calculated look. Wringing his hands nervously (Ike swore, Soren was the only one who could reduce_ him, _a large, built, tough guy into an anxious wreck. All with just a few, selected snide remarks and narrowed eyes. Soren was uncanny in his ability to insult others subtly.), Ike swallowed. Whatever Soren was looking at could not be good, if the way Soren tutted and occasionally looked up at him with undisguised looks of disgust was any indication.

Finally, Soren stated matter-of-factly, "This is not good. The damage to your car, as you may know, is irreversable, though I suspect you merely took a glance at it before panicking and heading to the bar that your 'pals' frequent." Pausing, he pulled a pen from his breast pocket, and jotted some figures down. While he did so, he commented casually, "So, how was your night yesterday? It_ must_ have been_ so fun, frolicking_ with a _complete stranger _who could have any number of infections. I hope you used protection." His disdain dripped from his words like liquid poison.

At Ike's uncertain silence (what could he say to that?), Soren then snorted, and shook his head before placing a paper in front of the blushing Ike, who blurted defensively, "I did! Geez, Soren, loosen up a little, will ya?" Receiving a cool, challenging glare in response, the larger man nervously averted his eyes almost instantly from Soren's.

In front of him were numbers neatly written, as well as a few notes that Soren had jotted down. Gesturing to the first figure, Soren explained, "These are the total costs that have incurred. As you have no insurance for some unfathomable reason, and your father is unwilling to pay for a lawyer, the opposing party has decided to sue you for damages to her car. You have no chance versus her, without a lawyer, and without insurance, so I advised your father to merely pay her off. Of course, he did, but not without adding it to your expenses." Pausing, Soren then added as an afterthought, "Oh, by the way Ike... At my... advice, your father has decided to informally incur a small, merciful amount of interest on your expenses. After all, it was out of his pocket. I advise you find some way to earn cash quickly, so that it does not pile up. Well, actually, it doesn't really matter to me... The longer you take to pay back your father, the more I get paid." Soren licked his lips. He seemed to brighten at the prospect of himself earning more cash.

Spluttering in disbelief, Ike coughed out, "Y-You can't do this to me!"

Regarding his impeccably neat nails with boredom, Soren replied leisurely, "Of course I can. Consider this payback for, oh, I don't know... _All of high school, maybe?_ Besides that, your father and sister have been pestering you to get insurance for over half a year now. This whole situation is really your fault in every way. Especially by... _Wisely _choosing to partner with me in projects with _little to no intent_ of _actually working."_

Sighing, Ike resigned his defense. Maybe Soren was right... He never had been really responsible before, despite Soren's scathing yet caring insistences. Basically ever since he had turned 16, he had been partying almost every weekend, to Soren's chagrin, as well as... Fooling around with other likeminded, carefree and hot individuals. The thought did not make him feel better. Glumly Ike then asked, "So how am I supposed to pay off... $10,000!? That's like impossible! You know I only work at Starbucks! How can I—"

Cutting him off, Soren interjected, his voice scolding him patronizingly as if Ike had been a naughty little kid who stole the cookies from Santa and had been caught cookie-handed, "_That _is the purpose of our appointment today. Your father would like me to help you to find ways to pay off your debt. It doesn't hurt that he's paying me with the interest that incurs on your debt. As well as an additional, handsome gross sum of money." Soren paused and lovingly stroked a bulging, manila envelope, which was probably filled to the brim with cash. Oddly enough, Soren always requested cash in lieu of cheques, probably because it suited his fancy.

He continued, "Of course, you could just spend over half a year paying him off. But since I doubt you'd enjoy that, I've already done some research on job postings. You... aren't as qualified as would be convenient, to be honest, but maybe your good looks will help you along." Soren stopped, regarding Ike seriously in the eyes. "And please Ike, do not speak your mind so freely during interviews. That last one was a horror; I have no idea why Starbucks decided to hire you way back when, if your interviews have always been this bad. ...Actually, that would be a lie. They hired you so in the hopes that their female demographic would receive a sizable increase. Oh, and as well as their gay male demographic. But that's besides the point."

Confused, Ike questioned, his eyebrows furrowed,"What do you mean? That interview was probably my best ever!"

Soren nodded in agreement. "It would have been, compared to your other interview horror stories, yes, but you fumbled up near the end. If I recall correctly, which I am _certain _that I do, after your interviewer regarded you on your good looks, you told me that you did not return the compliment. That was the first mistake. Then, you said that you spilled coffee over her blouse. And _then _you tried to console her by saying something along the lines of 'It's okay, that blouse was kind of gross-looking anyways'. It's a wonder that they had hired you."

Taking a sip from his thermos, he said, "I'm afraid that we're going to have to do some role-playing. I'm going to teach you how to have a successful interview. In the mean time, look at these job postings I've compiled for you, and tell me which ones interest you. Ideally, you would ditch Starbucks in favour of higher-income jobs, and choose two of the offerings that I've found."

He placed his attention onto another sheet on the desk and offered it to Ike, explaining, "Luckily, your situation isn't without its advantages. You aren't in school for a year; that's one thing. Also, by crude calculations and estimates, if you were to work 50 hours a week at $10 an hour, while taking on some odd jobs, or a small part-time job, you could finish paying off your debt after you've started working other jobs in about... maybe 3 months or so? Your father's only charging you for the debt owed to that lady who sued you. That's another thing; your financial situation could have been much worse. Ah, how I envy that lady's conniving guts."

He sighed heavily before he abruptly began to pile the pages back into the folder. "This meeting is done; I'm going for lunch. Feel free to come along, but if not, see you tomorrow, same time."

Rising from his chair, Soren grabbed his jacket and left without a second glance. Sighing at his friend's abysmal and curt social skills, he gathered himself and ran after his friend to keep him company.

* * *

><p>"Ranulf? You should wake up. You've been napping for a while now; come down and eat something."<p>

Groaning in lazy distress, Ranulf covered his eyes with his blue blanket pathetically, slurring, "Turn off the lights."

He heard an audible sigh, before a click told him that she had turned the light switch off. Throwing his thick blanket off himself, he saw his mom at the door. "I'm not leaving until you get up", she said in a tone that left no room for argument.

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he complained childishly, "But it's Saturday..." but nevertheless roused himself and went downstairs with his mom who lightly laughed at his behaviour.

"Here, you can eat the leftovers from yesterday. I know you didn't eat your lunch yesterday. Ranulf. You keep on saying you'll try and eat your lunch, so will you or will you not?" she asked in a concerned voice.

He replied tiredly, "I know... I just didn't feel like it. I'll eat my lunch more often, really."

"Promise me, then," his mom lightly scolded.

He sighed, "I'm not going to make promises I can't keep. But I'll try to try." He looked up through his eyelashes at her with a sheepish half-smile, the way he usually did when he tried to be polite and charmingly cute. She made a show of rolling her eyes before she sadly smiled in return.

His mom watched him eat a few bites before he murmured, "I'm full." She twinged inside, watching her baby boy, who had grown up so fast, who barely ate nowadays, go upstairs, to probably go use his laptop and stay home for the rest of the day. She could only hope that with his family's support, the school's, and the doctor's, that he would feel better soon.

_Oh, right. _She suddenly remembered about how she had planned for his driving lessons to start. Calling after him, she claimed, "By the way, you have driving lessons starting tomorrow! You need to learn to drive."

She heard an aggravated moan above in return, prompting a small smile to break across her face gently, softening her tired features.

* * *

><p>"Ike, you can come in."<p>

Shuffling in tiredly, he offered a lethargic smile to Soren. "Hey."

"Hi." Getting straight to business, the smaller man asked, "Have you thought about any of the job offers?"

Scratching his head sheepishly, he replied nervously, "Urm, yeah... About that..."

Muttering "Not again," Soren opened a drawer and pulled out another folder. Extracting a few files from it, he placed the folder back in the drawer with a loud slam. Asking as if he didn't want to know the answer, Soren stated, "What happened this time." It seemed more like a statement instead of a question.

Rubbing his neck embarrassed, he offered, "I, er... was busy with—"

"Is that a hickey?"

Choking, Ike began, "Y-Yeah, but that's not important. What's more important is—"

Cutting him off coldly, Soren retorted, "Yes, what's _more _important is knocking up some guy and forgetting about your massive debt to your father. Here," Soren offered abruptly, giving him a copy of the job offers. "I thought you might... be frolicking about again."

Feeling his face burn, he stammered gratefully, "Thanks."

Looking over his documents, Soren continued, "Well, let's look over these, then. Personally, I think, considering your interests, that you would like the job of being a driving instructor. Luckily for us both, though you aren't technically qualified, this lady just wants somebody to teach her son how to drive. All you need to do is drive her somewhere well, and you'll qualify for her. She's also... Oh. Hm, that's quite a large amount." He looked back up to Ike and explained, "She's willing to pay $50 per hour. And she'd like her son to take lessons ideally 3-4 times a week, but twice per week at a minimum. She's also flexible with hours, as long as it's after school on weekdays."

"Oh. That sounds good. When can I start?" Ike inquired, curious. He leaned slightly forward in the comfy chair.

Sighing, Soren explained, "Ike, you can't assume you have the job. Perhaps she already found someone. Or maybe she won't find you fit to teach her son. And it's not just 'good'. If you do get the job, that'd be a large amount of money made with near-minimal investment of time along with flexible hours. It could be your saving grace, in a fiscal manner of speaking. But nonetheless... We can't allow ourselves to be limited in our options. Now," Soren flipped through the documents, "Here's another job listing I thought you might like..."

Yawning and only half-listening, Ike nodded and made sounds of agreement, though his mind was elsewhere. More specifically, he was thinking about his date with Boyd later that night.

"...Ike?" Soren was waving a hand over Ike's face.

"Oh... Sorry. Where were we?"

"Oh, Ike... Why don't we adjourn this meeting. Maybe I've given you a lot to think about." At Ike's blank face, he scoffed, "Or maybe not. Going to frolic once more?" Shaking his head in disbelief, he shooed Ike away with his hands irritably as if he were a fly. "Go. Get some rest, seriously. It won't do for you to be this distracted all the time. I'll go do some work on what I think you'll like, and I'll set up some interviews for you."

Reluctant, Ike offered, "Are you sure? I can stay and help, I —"

Curtly, Soren said, "Go. I can handle things. See you tomorrow, and be dressed nicely, I'll make sure we have an appointment around 4. I must admit, I relish the idea of you being forever and ever in my debt." He ignored Ike's paling, and continued, "But seriously, would it kill you to actually rest instead of... canoodling?"

Smiling tiredly, Ike thanked his friend genuinely, ignoring the latter of his comment, and trying to dissolve the eerie idea of always being in debt to Soren in one way or another. "...Thanks Soren. I promise I'll get some rest."

As he walked out the door, Soren snorted, "Don't let the bed-fairies bite." This prompted Ike to blush and pop his collar in an effort to hide the revealing mark on his neck.

* * *

><p>Ranulf awoke to see the sun shining, and hear birds chirping to each other merrily. <em>Oh. Today's an unusually nice day. Except... I have a driving lesson. <em>Groaning, he laid across his bed awake, his hands behind his head as he tried to think of ways to avoid his lesson. _Maybe I can get my temperature up... Or... Um. I know! Stomach flu. Always works. _Grinning, he sprung up from his bed and began to perfect his plan, when his mom popped in his room.

"Oh. Ranulf, it's good you're up. Me and your father have to go to a lunch, so I left you some money for the driving instructor. Don't let him overcharge you, it's only supposed to be $50. Remember to bring your Learner's license!" She rambled, leaving no room for argument.

"Ah, but mom, I'm not feeling so well..." Ranulf feebly tried to weasel his way out.

Looking up with a 'Hm?' before rolling her eyes, scoffing, she exited his room, calling, "Your lesson's at 12, go eat some food. I've already made the appointment, Ranulf!" She finished, with an exaggerated huff as quiet footsteps padded down the stairs.

Resigning himself to an hour of torture, he sighed. _Maybe it won't be as bad as I think_, he thought to himself, though he doubted it.

* * *

><p>Ike had just finished getting out of the shower, when he heard his door bell ring. Smirking, he went to open the door with just his towel around his waist, beads of water still running down his chiseled chest. Opening it, he saw a scoffing Boyd, though he was blushing as well. Pulling Boyd inside, Ike teased sensually, "Like what you see?"<p>

Boyd retorted, "W-Whatever! I-If we do it... I-I get to be on top!" Closing the door behind him with his foot, he then kicked his shoes off and smashed his lips onto Ike's hungrily. They moved in a rush as their tongues explored each other's mouths. Stumbling more than once, the pair finally made it to Ike's room. Ike playfully shoved Boyd onto the bed, and began to kiss Boyd's neck. Groaning, Boyd fumbled with his belt and whipped his shirt off, throwing it to the side. Impatient, Ike tried pulling Boyd's pants off without undoing the belt, causing Boyd to practically slide and be pulled off the bed, his endeavour unsuccessful.

"Ow!" Rubbing his head, scowling, Boyd undid his jeans and Ike sheepishly apologized. Aroused, the pair were about to get rid of their towel and boxers, when they heard the door bell ring. Cursing vehemantly, Ike rewrapped his towel around his etched waist, and headed to the door, his patience thin. In the bedroom, Boyd took off his boxers, grinning mischievously, before grabbing the blanket and hiding behind the bedroom door childishly.

As Ike neared the door, calling, "Who is it?" he heard a familiar, girly voice respond in a falsely sweet way, "It's your sexy girlfriend!" The voice stopped its pre-tense and started yelling impatiently, "Open up, I need some money, and you owe me anyways." Snorting, he opened the door for his sister Mist. Unphased by his attire, she pulled him into a hug before leaping away, grossed out. "Ike! Yo-You're—"

Blushing deeply, he defended, "Hey, I didn't know you'd go hug me! I didn't even know you were coming, so I was—"

Putting her hands over her ears childishly, she let out, "Lalala, I can't hear you!"

He rolled his eyes and invited her in, temporarily forgetting about Boyd. Flipping her shoulder-length orange-brown hair across her shoulder, she got straight to asking, "Can I have $50—no, $65? You still owe me, this is totally justified!"

Scoffing, Ike shook his head. Narrowing her light blue eyes dangerously, she threatened, "If you don't, then I'm going to tell dad that you took his $20, and never gave it back, to buy a dildo downtown. _In the middle of the night. With his car. While half-drunk._"

Panicking, he hastily conceded defeat. "Okay, okay, here, I'll give you $70 alright? Just... Don't tell him. I'd die of embarrassment." He turned to look for his wallet, willing to pacify her.

In the bedroom, Boyd heard snippets of the conversation going on. He let out a little snigger, which turned into a burst of laughter that did not go unnoticed. "Uh... Ike? Did you hear that?" Mist looked around herself, confused.

"Urm... I left the TV on, that's all." He replied casually, sweat-dropping as he took out some bills. His hands shook slightly, his body nervous.

"Oh, well, whatever." Taking the money offered, she smiled sweetly and innocently, "Thank you, big brother." Breaking the facade, she tossed her hair over her shoulder yet again with attitude, and walked to the door, calling, "Lock the door, or some perv could, like... molest you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Go to bed early, it's Sunday." Ike grumbled in response as he locked the door. He heard a sweet voice, like that of an angel, reply, "Okay big brother! Whatever you say~!"

After ensuring that she had indeed left, he hastily went back to where Boyd was waiting for a good time. As he entered the room, he heard Boyd yell, "Boo!" as he felt his blanket tossed on him. "What the heck, Boyd!?" Ike scowled, annoyed.

Boyd grinned cheekily, and pushed Ike onto the bed. He purred as he grinded his hips onto the tangled mess, "So... You like dildos?", prompting Ike to fume silently before he muttered, "I was just curious what the fuss was about..."

Taking the blanket off, Boyd laughed at him, before pinning Ike to the bed. "This time, I'm in charge," Boyd seductively whispered into his ear, while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, shut up," Ike retorted breathlessly, before planting his lips onto the eager boy on top of him.

* * *

><p>The lesson did not go well. Though Lyre was emphatically assured by Ranulf that it was much worse than how he described, she could not imagine having such an... interesting teacher. Ranulf had ranted to herself and Kyza in furious whispers during English class, as well as throughout the entire lunch.<p>

"And then, and then...! He has the nerve to ask me if I have a girlfriend. Like, seriously! You don't ask people things like that! It'd be like a teacher cornering me and asking if my grandma's still alive! Who does he think he is?! I'm so happy my mom agreed to lay him off!" Ranulf fumed, his green eyes wild with rage.

Lyre tentatively cut in, "Um... Ranulf, I think you're overreacting... He was probably just trying to be friendly and, you now, hip or something."

Kyza could see part of why Ranulf was so indignant, and so added without thinking, trying to reason with Ranulf, "It's not like he knows you're gay."

As soon as he had said it, both Lyre and Ranulf had stopped talking. Lyre stared in undisguised surprise, looking from Kyza to Ranulf, who both averted their eyes, though for different reasons. Hastily, Kyza tried to fix the situation. "Haha... You know, just kidding! I, uh, was trying to make a 'funny'."

Lyre interjected quietly, "Is it true, Ranulf?" looking at her friend sadly. Ranulf nodded meekly, his body tense.

Unbeknownst to Ranulf, though Kyza saw it all, Lyre's face flashed through a set of emotions. Her indigo eyes seemed less lively and bright, her face was crestfallen, and then-Her whole demeanour changed. She giggled and hugged Ranulf, who let out a sound of surprise. "You silly! Why didn't you tell me!" She hit his shoulder affectionately, causing Ranulf to raise his head, red from embarrassment and fear of rejection. Seeing her carefree smile, he relaxed, and hugged her tightly, happy that his best friend understood.

With her face free from Ranulf's eyes, her eyes displayed her true feelings, as her face seemed to dim. Catching her eye, Kyza tried to convey his feelings to her, his heart aching at her sadness. She smiled sadly in response, before masking her face once more in a cheery, excited facade as Ranulf released her from the hug.

Though Ranulf was now animatedly chatting to the both of them freely, albeit quietly so that others couldn't hear, Kyza could tell that Lyre was only half-heartedly participating. Suddenly, he came up with an ingenious plan. _And Kyza saves the day! _he thought to himself proudly. "Lyre," he interjected in a business-like tone, "We have to meet with Mordecai for our History project. He said we could meet him today at the start of lunch. It's too bad I forgot until now, so we should hurry up."

Though her face showed her confusion, she nodded, only slightly hesitant, and they both began to rise. Ranulf, in an excited mood, asked, "Can I come too?"

His eyes quickly glanced over to Lyre, before his eyes flicked back to regard Ranulf's, Kyza replied, "Well... It's boring stuff, at least to you. We're working on the War of the Austrian Succession. If you want, I could even teach you what we've learned, while we do our project!" Kyza tried to sound as excited as possible, while making it seem as unappealing to Ranulf as possible. He continued, "It's quite fascinating! Yes, on second thought, you _should_ come with us, Ranulf, I'd love to teach you abou—"

Ranulf snorted, his face wincing as if he were in physical pain, "Ew... No way. You guys have... _fun_." He sniggered, and waved bye, fake-pouting, as if they were going to Disney Land without him only to instead be brought to a barren desert.

As Lyre and Kyza walked up the stairs, she asked him, "What are you talking about? I've never heard of the Australian War Success before."

Scoffing, he retorted, flecking imaginary dust off of his sleeve, "It's called the War of the Austrian Succession, a series of battles that—"

Flicking her hair, she muttered, "Whatever... I don't wanna know."

Coughing to regain her attention, he continued, "It's later on in the text book. I just read ahead 'cause I had nothing to do in the work period that Mr. Lance gave us."

Snorting, she replied, "You work too hard. The whole class had practically finished the worksheet in 10 minutes. He's _soooo _lenient and chill, it's awesome."

Her step faltered slightly, and Kyza reached out, steadying her with his arm. With a look of concern, he asked, "Are you feeling okay? I can—"

She ignored him and smiled softly, "...Thank you, Kyza."

Confused, he let out, "I... You're welcome. But for what? You're alright, aren't you?"

Shaking her head with a laugh, she stated, "You know what I mean. For... your quick thinking. I kind of feel a bit devastated at the moment to be honest. I'm such a silly girl..."

Shaking his head emphatically, he argued, "No! You're not!" She looked at him with surprise. He corrected himself. "Ah, I mean to say that you're not silly. You _are _silly, though, for thinking that you _were _silly."

She grinned almost genuinely. "You make no sense sometimes. That's like a paradox or something! Anyways... I'm probably going to go head home, I don't feel so well. ...See you around, Kyza," she said sadly, with a wistful smile.

He wanted to follow after her, to comfort her, but something about her body language prevented him. He watched her walk out through a door, and through the clear windows he could have sworn he saw her tear-stained face as the rain poured around her.

Feeling his heart ache at her suffering, he began to think of a plan to help her feel better.

* * *

><p>Waking up, he felt Boyd's spiky, short hair against his own head as they lay in a pile of bare, tangled limbs on the bed. Ike then jolted wide awake. He could see the sun coming in, and hear traffic in the streets. <em>Oh crap<em>, he thought. _Soren's going to kill me._

Shaking Boyd awake, who grumbled in response as he started to wake up, Ike winced as he ran, despite the pain he felt in his posterior, to the shower, calling, "Boyd, after I leave you have to lock the door! There's a spare key somewhere in my room, I trust you not to steal anything!"

"Yeah, yeah," Boyd mumbled in response quietly, clearly not listening, though Ike could not hear the sleepy boy's voice from the bathroom.

* * *

><p>After having a few bites of his lunch, Ranulf quickly became bored. His fork flicked pieces of peas into the garbage can. A few times he almost scored. After receiving a disapproving look from a passing teacher, he quickly stopped. His eyes wandered, and he saw Mr. Lance's door open. Shrugging to himself, he packed up his lunch, and headed to Mr. Lance's office. As he neared, he heard bits of a conversation.<p>

"So for sure, you won't bail on me like last time?"

He heard an audible sigh. "You know some things are more important than us just hanging out. You worry too much, Kieran. And if something does come up, you _know_ I have to... Oh, Ranulf! How are you?" Mr. Lance called to him jovially.

Beside Mr. Lance, Mr. Braxe jumped as if startled. Snorting, Mr. Lance murmured quietly, though Ranulf could hear, "You don't have to be so worried all the time." Mr. Braxe sighed, before replying, "I should get going anyways. See you, Oscar, hi and bye, Ralph," as he left with an irritable huff, and closed the door not-too-gently.

To his credit, he was only slightly annoyed that Mr. Braxe had said his name wrong. Bothered by the teacher's sudden departure, Ranulf asked, "Did I... bother him in some way?"

Mr. Lance laughed, and smiled, "No, no, of course not! Don't worry Ranulf. He's just... He worries too much, I think. Anyways, come, sit down! It's nice to see you in school today." Ranulf shrugged in response noncommittally, and sat down. "So, what brings you here today? Anything happen? Or are you just here to chat? That's fine too, of course!" Though Ranulf wasn't sure, he could swear Mr. Lance seemed livelier today.

"Well, actually, Mr. Lance, I... came out to two people inadvertantly. Well... I mean, I came out to one person, and he accidentally outed me to Lyre."

Seeming interested (it was hard to tell), Mr. Lance replied in a pleasantly surprised voice, "Oh? I take it that they took it well? That sounds wonderful... Would you care to explain? I'm intrigued." He leaned forward, displaying his curiousity.

Happy to talk about it, Ranulf started to babble. "Well, okay, it's kinda funny, sort of. Do you know Kyza?" He continued animatedly, without waiting for a response. "Well, me and him used to be like real good friends. He was like my second best friend. And we kind of drifted apart from each other, but then on Friday, when I headed home, it turns out that he was there, at my home, waiting for me! Well, not really. He was snooping around, I later found out. I had my suspicions, but..." Ranulf paused and took a breath, his face turning red, his mouth a blur. "Anyways. So I found out that he was hiding something, and that he was looking around my room, so I was curious, you know? I mean, we basically only had talked to each other at school lately. And uh... He pinned me to my bed 'cause I was being fussy, according to him. But I wasn't! Anyways, and then... Then..." Blushing at the memory, Ranulf faltered a bit. "I... We were so close to each other, and I kind of got lost in his eyes... And I ended up... kissing him."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Mr. Lance's eyes opened slightly. The counsellor asked, concerned, "Do you like Kyza? Is he okay with you having kissed him?"

Ranulf laughed slightly. Continuing to blush even more, he rambled, "Well, he's like... Kinda hot. And built. But he's so stuffy and proper, it's kind of annoying. I just wish he got drunk or something sometime so I could see him relax! But yeah, he was okay with it. Great, actually. Now we're just as close as before! He slept over afterwards, 'cause I asked, 'cause... I dunno... I just wanted company, I guess. I wasn't expecting all that to happen!"

Mr. Lance beamed in response. His eyes seemed to close again. "That sounds wonderful. So he accidentally told Lyre?"

Ranulf nodded. "Yeah, but it's okay. She's totally fine with it too! I feel a lot better now. I mean, my family seems to know... And now my two friends know. Things are looking up! I... Think some guy was checking me out at McDonalds." He added lamely.

"Er... That's... nice." Ranulf received in response.

His face burning as his ears turned red, he embarrassedly agreed. "Yeah, he was hot actually. And I think he was like 19 or something, so it'd be okay and kinda cool if we had gotten together!" Covering his mouth, shocked he had said that, Ranulf looked over to Mr. Lance. Mr. Lance just looked amused.

"Well, that sounds fine to me. That's barely a gap in age." Mr. Lance seemed about to say something else, when the bell rang. "Oh, never mind. It was nice talking to you Ranulf! I'm afraid I have to get ready for an academic meeting with another teacher... Please, come any time you like! I'm here almost every lunch."

"Alright, Mr. Lance. See you!" Ranulf cheerfully exited, and almost knocked into what seemed to be a wall, which was actually Kyza. "Woah! Kyza, you scared me!"

Slightly flustered, Kyza replied absentmindedly, "Ah, I apologize. Is Mr. Lance free?"

"Hm? Oh, he said he's getting ready for an academic meeting with another teac—"

At that, Kyza burst into a fit of sniggers uncharacteristically. Recollecting himself, he tried to act as if nothing had happened, and his face almost successfully was rid of an amused grin. "Oh, I see. Then he's basically free. See you Ranulf." Kyza briskly entered the office, and shut the door, leaving Ranulf standing by the door, puzzled by his air of importance.

Feeling lost, Ranulf walked out the school, done for the day. He decided to shove his confusion aside in favour of elation, despite the rain. _Spare periods last block rock. And Kyza and Lyre rock too!_

* * *

><p>"You're late."<p>

"Sorry Soren! I was—"

"I don't want to hear it," Soren replied with a contemptuous snort. "You're lucky that our first interview was cancelled. Let's go, I'll brief you on what's happening in the car." Soren strode out the door that Ike had just ran to, leaving Ike to run after him.

"Hey, what's happening?!" He huffed, catching up to the smaller man who purposely didn't slow his brisk steps forward.

"Well, you would have missed the first appointment, which was for a fancy steakhouse job offer, if it was not cancelled last minute by the restaurant. Apparently they're unexpectedly closed for lunch today, as they're not only short a staff member, but also missing a staff member who's tardy." Reaching the car, Soren went into the passenger side and gestured for Ike to drive. He explained, "I can explain better if you drive, and I know how good of a driver you are anyways, despite your... lack of insurance. But think of this as a practice test."

Confused, Ike looked at his friend. "What do you mean?"

Soren instructed, "Go to 41st and Main... You're going to be driving the mother somewhere, and if you do well, you'll get the job. ...Apparently she laid off the first instructor, who is incidentally the last, after just one lesson."

Ike gulped. He hoped he could manage to qualify according to the woman's standards.

* * *

><p>"Hello, sir."<p>

"Kyza! What seems to be the problem?" Mr. Lance greeted amiably, and gestured for him to take a seat.

Snorting, Kyza responded, "I'll tell you after I ask this: I thought you and Mr. Braxe had stopped... '_Meeting up_' during school time? Doesn't Mr. Braxe realize he's going to inadvertantly out himself by doing this, sooner or later?"

Mr. Lance sighed. "That's what I've told him. But he likes the... thrill of it..." He said, averting his eyes as his face grew red.

Coughing, Kyza continued hastily, deciding to spare the older man, "Anyways, I was hoping to get your advice on something. How would you help a... friend in need?"

Mr. Lance sat up straighter, his face cooling down and becoming concerned. "Is this about Ranulf?" He asked.

Kyza replied, "In a way, yes, but... It's about Lyre. ...She's heartbroken that Ranulf is gay, as she's had a crush on him for a while. I'd comfort her... But I don't know if... I'm being blinded by something else. Furthermore, I don't know if I'd actually be the right person to comfort her."

Mr. Lance astutely guessed, "Blinded by love?"

Kyza, feeling shy, averted his eyes, but nodded his head slowly.

"Well... How about her twin sister? Maybe she could help?" Oscar suggested with his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Kyza's face brightened. His sapphire eyes gleamed as he said, "That's brilliant! If I could somehow... manage to patch up Lethe and Lyre's relationship, Lethe could definitely comfort her."

Mr. Lance offered a smile in return. He offered good naturedly, "Do you need any help with that? My only concern is that, though you are probably aware of this, it may be best to limit what information you give. Allow Lyre to explain her feelings to Lethe."

Kyza nodded. "Of course. Don't worry, sir, I have an idea." He rose out of his chair and, as he opened the door, declared, "Your boyfriend's here."

Mr. Braxe fumed; his dark maroon eyes looked around wildly around the empty vicinity, before the man whispered furiously, "Hush!" He glared at Kyza before he entered the room and shut the door. An audible _click _was heard.

Snorting, Kyza turned and ran down the hall. While Kyza rushed off to his class, he mentally prepared himself to talk in class instead of diligently pay attention. As he reached his classroom, he entered quietly and apologized politely before taking a seat beside Lethe, who looked at him questioningly. After making sure that the substitute teacher was not looking, he whispered to Lethe, "If your sister was really upset, would you put aside whatever fight you two were in and talk to her?"


	5. Revelations and Tears

Lethe whispered furiously at Kyza, her eyes blazing with fire. "_What happened!? Who made her feel hurt? I'll make them pay, I'll —"_

Kyza sighed in resignation. Glancing briefly at the front of the class, he confirmed that the substitute teacher was still busy writing some notes that he did not understand. His indigo eyes darted back to lock with concerned and enraged blue - almost purple - eyes. Laughing to himself, he mused, _only Lethe could manage to effectively be both worried and mad at the same time. _He consoled her quietly, "It's not my place to tell you the details, but... No one did anything to her. It's because of circumstance, incidence." Lethe looked confused, and opened her mouth to say something, but Kyza cut her off. "I think you're the only person who could comfort her. She needs her twin right now... I'd help her if I could, but I don't think that I can."

Lethe moaned resignedly, prompting Kyza to smile inwardly. He'd never dare smile in front of Lethe as a result of something that she did. She'd probably start verbally assaulting him with her sharp tongue and wit. _Hm... That's interesting; I've never noticed it before, but now that I think about it... Lethe and Lyre both lash out... But Lyre's method is less... cruel. Lethe can really make someone feel bad without knowing it, just because of how she does it._

Kyza remembered a particularly memorable incident in their grade 9 year: the tall, quiet, large and softspoken Mordecai, a newcomer to the country and school, from Germany, had accidentally bumped into Lethe, prompting her to unceremoniously drop her precious books and binders. Her neat, uncrumpled essay had slipped out from her binder and had been crushed resolutely by the unyielding, heavy books. Whirling around infuriated, she started to hurl curses and insults at the poor boy who was nearly 2 heads taller than her, causing him to tear up. Instantly, Lethe stopped her verbal rampage and hastily spewed apologies to the crying boy. And funnily enough, they became best friends as she made efforts to make it up to the large but gentle boy. As time passed, he learned that she wasn't as bad as she seemed, and that, despite her uncaring persona, she actually was fiercely protective of her friends and family.

Kyza was brought out of his reverie by Lethe, who was impatiently snapping her fingers repeatedly in front of his face. He looked at her in confusion, prompting her to scoff and roll her eyes, before muttering, "I was saying, thank you for telling me about this. I owe you one."

He nodded in response; Lethe rarely ever gave thanks unless she meant it, or unless she was trying to be polite. Their interaction was brought to a halt as their grumpy, red-haired substitute announced in a slur, as if he was hungover, or didn't care, or, likely, _both_, "Okay, pups, I'm done writing notes. Copy them down, and you can do whatever you want, _except _leave the classroom. Trust me, if you get _me_ into trouble, you'll wish you hadn't." He paused slightly for emphasis, scaring even the toughest of them, before he started again, "Your teacher should be back from his meeting soon, so I'll just head on out so I don't have to see him." He sauntered out with a contemptuous snort, his red ponytail swinging from side to side. It was a well known fact that nearly all the teachers were either annoyed or amused by Mr Braxe's boisterous and lively antics.

Lethe and Kyza began to studiously copy down the notes on transformations to equations, which were simple yet thorough. Finishing quickly, Lethe snapped out her notebook and began drawing a practically-perfect circle over and over again. As Kyza finished neatly copying down the notes verbatim, he closed his binder with a huff and looked over bemusedly at Lethe, who seemed utterly bored.

The class was a buzz of conversation; most had hastily copied the notes while the substitute had written them down so that once he had left, they could start chatting with others about anything and everything but transformations to equations. Kyza began, "So Lethe... Why is it that you two never talk to each other? You two used to be inseparable."

Lethe looked at him, amazed at his audacity. Most people knew not to trifle with Lethe on the subject of her sister. She pursed her lips together in thought, before deciding on her response. Slowly, she said, "It's... really nothing that pleasant, but it's kind of silly. I'm actually surprised at your bravado, to ask me about something so personal, that I won't even get mad at you." She turned towards him in her seat in her gracious mercy, asking, "What's up with you right now?"

Kyza yawned. "I'm bored, you're bored. I honestly cannot stand thinking about school right now... I'm too wound up, I think."

Lethe raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How uncharacteristic of you. What's on your mind?"

At that, Kyza averted his eyes, mumbling incoherently. Snorting, Lethe replied, "I heard mumbles. Speak up and _enunciate, _will you?"

Kyza sighed, running his hands through his short hair, before lowering them and tracing his fingers on the desk, saying softly, "I think... I think I'm in love."

Lethe's ears seemed to perk up. Her curiousity got the better of her, and she burst out impatiently, "Whoa, what? Who?" She forced herself to calm down, then added as an afterthought, "I won't judge or tell, I swear!" She almost giggled, before she hastily converted her giddy laughs into a violent coughing fit. She couldn't stand the thought of someone seeing her laugh like a typical teenage girl who excitedly and unabashedly babbled with her airhead friends over gossip. Lethe shuddered at the unbearable thought. _Ugh._

Kyza wisely chose to pretend he had not heard Lethe's fit of laughter. Inwardly he debated whether he should tell her. It wouldn't hurt, would it? Lethe wasn't as coldhearted as others thought; she was actually very considerate despite her usual demeanour. She probably would never give up until he told her anyways.

Deciding to get it over with, he tentatively revealed, "It's your sister..."

Lethe looked at him, shocked. She opened her mouth several times as if to say something, before closing it just as sporadically. Finally she responded, "Oh, that's... nice... Um..."

Kyza laughed softly, "I know... Her and I..." _What an odd pair we'd make._

Lethe seemed to have snapped out of her thoughts. She murmured, "Sorry... I reacted... not as well as I should have. You shouldn't... I don't..."

Fazed, Kyza coughed, "I don't understand."

Lethe spluttered out, blushing, "I-I just meant that... well, you two would be good for each other... maybe. Don't think you don't stand a chance! You actually might have a higher chance than most... possibly."

Kyza gaped at her in amazement, prompting her to roll her eyes, and shift her body and face away from him. Her reddening cheeks and ears did not go unnoticed. Yet he couldn't stop the excitement he felt building. Lethe never lied, unless she was being sarcastic. He had to know how she could make such statements.

"How can you say those things? How are we good for each other...?"

Lethe snapped her head back to regard his eyes thoughtfully, as her blush began to fade. "If you think about it... My sister would best be with someone who can... handle her temperament. And, well... Tch, why'd I even get into this stupid talk with you anyways? Do whatever you want!" She turned away with a huff.

Before Kyza could respond, his eyes lightened with elation, the class room door slammed opened to reveal their red-faced math teacher. His blush seemed to blend in seamlessly right to the roots of his hair. He briskly walked to the forward of the classroom, but stumbled down to the ground, tripped by a stray chair leg, to the class's amusement. At the last moment, he caught himself from falling head-first to the ground with his arms, in a push up position. His blush intensified profusely, but he then began to do 10 fast yet proper push ups, before he hopped up with a 'Ha!' and turned to face the sniggering class. The more sardonic students, such as Lethe and Kyza, rolled their eyes or snorted; sadly, it was not anything out of the ordinary for anyone who had been in any of Mr. Braxe's math or acting classes.

"Alright, disciples, students, admirers! Quit lazing about, you have notes to copy down! Yes, you there! Urm... Kesha?" He scratched the back of his neck and winced slightly, as he always did when he forgot a student's name (which was often).

Kyza sighed, and didn't bother to correct him, as his classmates snickered. Some of the more unruly began to jeer and taunt by singing some of Ke$ha's songs with deliberate voice cracks throughout. "Silence, children! Young Kesha wishes to speak!"

The laughs died down after a while, and the patient Kyza began diligently, reasonably, "Sir, we've had 20 minutes to copy down these notes... I'm fairly certain most, if not all, of us have copied these notes."

Lethe rolled her eyes. _Oh, damn. I promised myself I'd stop doing that... But, it figures that Kyza would be pseudo-representative for the class. _Her musings were cut short as Mr. Braxe loudly declared, "Ah! I knew my pupils would have finished with haste! How silly of me to have thought otherwise!"

_...He contradicted himself. That's, what, the seventh time this class? _Lethe mused to herself. Despite having better things to do, as she claimed, Lethe kept a snarky, detailed account of events, perhaps out of sheer habit.

"Well, then! You guys can leave for the day! Remember, we have a test next class, not for marks! Make sure to study, though, cause your marks may suffer if you don't!"

His voice was drowned in the wave of chatter that emerged harshly from the students as if floodgates had been suddenly released. Some people, who were eager to leave the school early for the day, rushed out of the door immediately. As they packed their bags, Kyza caught Lethe's eye, and said, "Thanks for today. Do you think it will be for marks?"

Lethe sighed, and retorted, "No. He just likes to contradict himself a lot. If it were for marks, almost everyone would complain. I'll talk to Lyre. And you're welcome. Bye." She tossed her bag over her shoulder carelessly, as if the weight didn't bother her, though how her shoulder and body dropped to one side revealed otherwise. Beside her, Mordecai said in his deep yet quiet voice, with a hint of a German accent, "Here. Let me take." He took the bag off her shoulder with some nudging, and the pair made their way to their door; Lethe walked gracefully yet haughtily, while Mordecai lumbered over her as he shuffled behind her quietly.

Kyza shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. He smiled lightly, feeling happier than he had in years.

* * *

><p>As Ranulf reached the block that his house was on, he frowned. A raven-haired boy and girl were talking beside a car — presumably theirs — by the street in front of his house. As he walked closer slowly, he realized with horror and excitement that the guy was the one he had seen at McDonalds. <em>Holy sh—Angelina Jolie! What's he doing here!? <em>He subconsciously praised himself for refraining from cursing in his mind, but shook his head to focus on the important things at hand. _I have to make sure they don't see me, or else they'll see how pathetic I turn near cute guys!_

He quickened his pace to a near run, ignoring his brain which was partying and hooting at the free eye candy, and reached his front door. He reached into his pocket and hastily fumbled with the keys, as he hoped, _Ack, please don't let him see me! _He knew it was hopeless, though; the guy was just, what, 5, 10 metres away? Ignoring his snarky side, which remarked, _Wow, I suck at distance measurements, _he opened his door and slammed it shut. He didn't realize he was panting and sweating until his heart beat slowed to a steady thumping. _Ugh... If a stranger makes me feel this way, how would a boyfriend?_

He hummed happily to himself at the thought as he kicked his shoes off and ran upstairs, before leisurely unpacking his school bag and then throwing himself carelessly onto his too-large bed. The blanket sank under him and rose around him as his weight pushed the air out. He could hear someone fumbling around in his parents' room. He closed his eyes, and snuggled his head on his pillow, as he hugged another pillow to himself.

A few moments later, his mom popped in and said, "Oh, good. You're home. I'm going out for a bit, do you want anything?"

Ranulf opened the one eye that wasn't obscured by the fluffy pillow, and replied, "Um... McDonalds?" He smiled cheekily, earning a chortle from his mom. Ranulf took that as a 'yes'.

She made her way downstairs and called to him, "I'm going to start meeting with your potential driving teachers from now on, so I can make sure... That they don't say weird stuff. I'll be back in around an hour." He vaguely heard the front door open downstairs. "Don't fall asleep!"

"I'm just resting my eyes and body!" he shouted back, prompting a small snort before the door closed shut, and he was left all alone. He sighed and readjusted himself with a small whimper.

_Wait, what? Is that guy going to be my teacher? _He sprang up and grabbed his cell phone. He quickly dialled his mom's number, and impatiently drummed his fingers on his head board to what he secretly felt was a badass rhythm. A few moments later, his mom answered. "Hello?"

"Mom, mom! You can't, urgh, uh... A-Are you meeting with a driving teacher?"

"...Yes. Why?" He could just imagine his mom looking at her nails.

"Uh... Is the teacher a guy or a girl? 'Cause when I came home, I saw a black-haired guy and girl outside our house, and —"

He heard his mom laugh to herself. "Oh, that's what I thought too! But, uh... It's um... It's a guy. Listen, honey, I have to hang up, I'm busy."

He nearly shouted in his haste, "No, no! Wait! Don't hire him! Don't h—" A little sound alerted him to the fact that his mom had hung up on him. _Urgh! ...Well... Maybe it's not fair to discriminate based on looks? Except, well, this would be like reverse discrimination, sort of, 'cause most people like eye candy..._ _Maybe I should give him a chance, even though he is a walking wet dream. ...It doesn't hurt that he's got a huge body and amazing eyes._

* * *

><p>As Mrs. Rend walked out the door and shut it behind her, she could see a young man and woman standing in front of a car. She cast slightly narrowed eyes over the two of them critically, but brought a smile to her face.<p>

The flat-chested woman stepped forward, and said something quietly. As if in response, the man stepped forward as well. As she reached them both, she shook their extended hands, and greeted them.

"Hello, Mrs. Rend. It's wonderful to finally meet you at last. This is Mr. Greil, also known as Ike. I'm his... secretary."

The young man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. Hi, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Rend. You can call me Ike."

She replied to them both, "Oh, please, call me Kat. ...With a K. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Mrs. Rend tried to hide her intrigue at the androgynous person. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure whether it was a he or a she. She decided to interact with... it, only as necessary. She didn't want to make a mistake about its gender after all, and she just didn't trust her tongue.

The shorter black-haired person seemed to stiffen, and seemed to bristle, before he shuddered and smiled a bit too largely. He opened the passenger seat for her, and said courteously, "Madame."

Her lips quirked uncertainly. She tentatively smiled. "...Thank you?" Her phone began to ring at that instance, but she pressed the disconnect button, silencing the sounds.

"No, no. It is a _gentleman's_ duty to treat a lady right." _Oh. Oops. _"Ike, shall we?"

The two entered the vehicle, and Ike started the car engine. While he did so, the secretary explained to Mrs. Rend convincingly, "While this car does not have controls on the passenger side, it is of no matter. Mr. Greil is an _excellent _instructor, I assure you. Well, why don't we allow him to show you his skill?"

Mrs. Rend smiled. "It really doesn't matter if there's dual control or not. But if that is the case, I'd like to be the one driving. And I'd like to see Ike instruct me as if I were a student.

Smoothly, the shorter boy replied, "Of course. Ike." At his beckoning, Ike exited the driver's seat and they swapped seats. She sat without doing her seatbelt, and smiled innocently. "Shall we go, then?"

While she didn't see, Soren jabbed Ike at his side. "O-Oh, uh... Of course, we can go. But I think you should first fasten your seatbelt. And, uh... Make sure you're seated comfortably. A-And make sure that your seat isn't too high or too low, or too far or near. You want to be just close enough and high enough that you can see past the windshield and to the front and sides of your car."

She inwardly ticked an imaginary checklist. "Is that all?"

Ike glanced back warily at Soren, who innocently looked outside the window, though his hand was furiously jabbing Ike's side, though quietly and hidden from Kat's view.

Ike began, "U-Um... Actually, you should—"

Kat's cell phone began to ring, and she excused herself politely. "Sorry... It must be urgent. Hello?"

She heard Ranulf's voice pipe up heatedly. "Mom, mom! You can't, urgh, uh... A-Are you meeting with a driving teacher?"

"...Yes. Why?" She looked at her nails, and examined them, her free hand extended in front of her. She liked how the little stones she had got done sparkled in the sunlight. Of course, it wasn't permanent, but it did last a nice while, around a month.

Ranulf began to babble again. "Uh... Is the teacher a guy or a girl? 'Cause when I came home, I saw a black-haired guy and girl outside our house, and —"

She laughed to herself. "Oh, that's what I thought too! But, uh... It's um..." She flickered her eyes briefly to the secretary. Luckily he didn't seem to notice her son's loud voice. Instead, he was talking with Ike quietly and quickly. Thankful that they weren't listening at the moment, she answered in a whisper, "It's a guy." Louder, she began, "Listen, honey, I have to hang up, I'm busy."

On the other line, she heard Ranulf get even more riled up. "No, no! Wait! Don't hire him! Don't h—"

She sighed and hit the end call button. "I'm sorry... Where were we...?" She turned back to the other two.

The shorter boy instantly stopped talking. Unbeknownst to Kat, he had been quickly reviewing their notes on how to make a good impression as an instructor.

At Soren's poking, Ike began, "Oh, r-right. Well, u-um, make sure your rear view mirror is fixed so that you can see directly behind you." She twitched the mirror slightly. "Also make sure your side mirror is good. And... Just make sure that you check the dashboard every time you drive. You never know if you'll be running low on fuel, or if something's wrong with the engine or other things..." He leaned over and began to show her what the various symbols and gauges meant. Once he finished, he sat back satisfied, and she began to drive, her preplanned route in her head. She had made sure that she would go to a parking lot, do parallel parking, drive through several types of intersections, go through most of the kinds of street lights and important signs...

If the beginning was any indicator, she believed she had found her son a driving instructor. It didn't hurt that the offered price per hour was lower than she had advertised.

* * *

><p>Lyre blew her nose, before she tossed the tissue into the growing pile in the trash. She wiped her tears on her sleeve and sighed. She had been crying ever since she had left the school. She even had skipped her English class. She looked at her digital alarm clock on her bedside table. It was only two PM. <em>Lethe and Kyza should still be in school...<em>

And so she was surprised when she heard the front door open, followed by her twin's voice softly calling into the house her name for the first time in months. "Lyre?"

She heard Lethe stomp up the stairs, weighted down by her bag most likely. The steps stopped outside her door, which began to slowly glide open tentatively. "...Lyre?"

Lyre couldn't bring her eyes to her sister. She was a sobbing mess. And besides that, why did her sister choose to talk to her now, of all times? Why, when Lethe hadn't spoken to her in months?

Dully, she was aware that Lethe had perched on her bed awkwardly, as if she felt out of place. Lyre brought her eyes to Lethe's knees. Vaguely she noted that Lethe's hands were twisting themselves, writhing, as if she was nervous or guilty. But... she was here. And suddenly their big fight from months before seemed like nothing, seemed like something so pointless and so silly. For now, that was enough for Lyre. For now... Lethe's presence was enough.

"Lyre... I..."

Lyre sniffed, and dove at her sister, who stumbled back from the weight. "Oof! Lyre! Wha—"

"Thank you... Sniff... Lethe..."

They sat there for what seemed like an hour, just hugging. At first Lethe was stiff and rigid, but she soon relaxed and soothed her sister.

"Thank you..."

"...No need for... thanks."

* * *

><p>Ike sighed as Soren lectured him while fussing over his black suit, making sure all the buttons were in place and such. Ike wanted to celebrate, but Soren had insisted that they go to another interview right after. It turned out that the steakhouse they were supposed to have gone to from before now had enough staff members, at this time, to spare one to interview him. And so that was how Ike found himself beside a fussy and irritable Soren, by the front of an elegant and classy yet casual steakhouse. It was a unique but charming blend of style. At the front Soren tried his best to practice not scowling at strangers. "Hello... We have an interview...?"<p>

The raven-haired hostess stammered, "O-Of course! M-My apologies!" The girl scurried away, frightened, to the back of the restaurant. Ike glanced at Soren, bemused. Soren stopped his twitching lips, a sad attempt at a smile, and his mouth returned to its default scowl.

A few moments later, the hostess returned with sunglasses and smiled. Ike noticed that she had suddenly tossed on elegant, if oddly fashionable, ear rings and odd bracelets and necklaces together, as if she were trying to impress them both. "Please follow me, gentlemen!" She elegantly began to stride and bumped into a few walls and tables, before she finally successfully led them to the back of the restaurant. They passed by the kitchen, and were led to a lounge type of area. "Here is the employee lounge... This is where people spend their break times. Please have a seat, and your interviewer will be out shortly."

Ike nodded, and smiled at the girl, who took off her sunglasses to wink at him before glancing at Soren, who snarled at her, and running away with an 'Eek!', her jewelry dangling and swinging from side to side from the movement.

A few moments passed in silence. Ike noted the lounge with interest. The chairs were nice and comfy, a television with surround sound had been set up... A fridge was in the corner of the room, and an open door revealed what seemed to be a large change room with shower stalls. He glanced back at his friend. _Oh... Still scowling._

He was brought out of his reverie by Soren jabbing his sides. "Ow! What?" Ike turned, and his eyes widened. "What...?"

Standing before him, Boyd, in a flattering white dress shirt, tight vest, and fitting black pants, snickered. "Surprised? I know I'm one classy guy... Follow me for your _interview. _I promise to be thorough. I'll make sure you're... qualified, if you know what I mean, eh?" He nudged Soren, who fell over and gnashed his teeth in anger at the laughing man. Ike was still reeling from the revelation.

"Hey, c'mon. Seriously Ike, follow me." The black-haired man nodded dumbly and began to follow the brunet to a small, comfy room.

Once they had both sat, Boyd sighed, "Ike, I'm just as surprised as you are, but c'mon, don't act like the dummy you usually are! I have great news! Well... Maybe not for you. I found a girl!"

Ike's mind was brought to the present, and he even decided to ignore the obvious jab to find out more about what his friend had been talking about. "Huh? You mean... As in, someone who's not just for fun?"

Boyd grinned. "Of course not! I'll make sure our first time is awesome, haha! The best lays come with time, m'man." He nodded at that, looking at Ike sagely. "Sadly, this means no more hanging-out-dating between you and me, but she's worth it." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Ike scoffed, but smiled softly, "That's good, though. Any pictures? I'm curious what she looks like."

Boyd snorted. "It's not just her looks though! She's an angel, a gift from the divine! I'll treat her better than anyone ever has!" He sat back slightly and sighed wistfully. "Sorry, for real, Ike. But I gotta go for this. I feel something special with her, _really_ special." He peeked a glance at Ike, and was relieved to see the raven-haired teen shrug.

"...Wow. She must be something." Ike couldn't be hurt, not when his friend came to him with such hope. While he and Boyd had been fooling around for a bit now, it never felt like anything more than being really good friends, who sometimes got physical with each other. ...Okay, they got physical a lot. But still, he hoped things worked out between the brown-haired boy and this mystery girl, if Boyd's demeanour was anything to base his hopes on.

Boyd nodded emphatically. He reassured the other teen, "We can still hang out, though!" His dark green eyes, shining lively with belief in himself and this girl, flicked to the clock on the wall and widened. "Oh, she's coming! Haha, that's what she said! ...Oh, whoa, that's double awesome. Lesbians! Haha. Get it? It implied there were two girls! Ah, I'm so hilarious that it hurts."

Ike rolled his eyes; he was by now used to the boy's crude and strange sense of humour. "What d'you mean?"

"The girl, you dope! She wanted to visit me today. What a sweetheart. I'll introduce you to her! She should be here any minute now. Oh, 'bout the interview... Let's just pretend we did the interview, it's boring as hell, you probably qualify anyways. All you have to do is smile and subtly flex while you work!" Boyd didn't even seem fazed at the possibility of Ike actually not qualifying.

They stood up, and exited the room before they made their way back to the front of the restaurant. Soren glanced up and quirked an eyebrow. Ike shrugged, prompting a nervous, agitated Soren to get up and follow them. As they nearly ran to the front, Soren burst out impatiently, "So did Ike get the job or what?"

Boyd's cell began to ring at that moment, and so he answered excitedly, ignoring Soren, whose amber eyes were twitching in irritation. _Uh oh, that's never a good sign..._

"Hey, babe! Hm? Oh, yeah. ...Really? That's cool. Haha, no way! What, really? That's insane!"

Ike shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Their conversation had him really curious, but sadly he couldn't really overhear anything.

"Well, anyways, I'm glad you came! Haha, that's what she said! Huh? Oh, pshaw, I know I'm funny. It's nice that at least _someone _appreciates my humour. Oh, I'm just with a friend. Ex-boyfriend, sorta! Well, I haven't known him for too long, actually. Don't worry, he's nice, and you know you're the only one for me! Anyways, I wanted to introduce you two! Oh, hey, I see you! Oh, your dad drove you? Oh, not to see me? Haha, that's good. Well, talk to you in a bit!" He teetered on his heels excitedly.

As the blurred glass door to the restaurant started to open slowly, Boyd said nonchalantly, "Oh, Ike, before I forget, you've got the job. I'll make sure you learn from the best, which is me! Hah, anyways, Aimee's probably pulling strings as we speak, just so that you can work here." He waved to Mist, who stood there on the spot, frozen. "Hey, babe!" He turned back to Ike and started to explain, "Aimee's, like, _prowling_ for another guy. I'd be scared of her if I were you, supposedly she uses herbal mixes to sedu—"

Mist cut him off, "...What?" She didn't even pay him any attention as she stared at Ike.

"Wha—!" Ike was looking from her to Boyd, his mind in shock.

As Boyd was hugging Mist, who seemed as shocked as Ike did, Boyd said, "I know, right? It's awesome that we can work together."

As neither of them responded, he stepped back, and comically looked confused. "Hey, what's the..." He looked from Ike to Mist, alternating, before comprehension clouded his face. "Oh... Wh-Whaaat!? You guys never told me you were...!"

Soren snorted, his anxiety gone now that his job was surprisingly complete earlier than expected. All three of them had shock written all over their faces as they stared at each other in comical silence. He stepped outside; he had done what he had needed to, and he definitely didn't need to stay around for the doubtlessly messy aftermath. He approached the shiny and sleek BMW by the side of the restaurant and greeted his boss.

"Hello, Mr. Greil. Ike has now earned two jobs."

Mr. Greil seemed to smile, though it was hard to tell with him. "Good. Thank you, Soren. Here's your payment." He took out an envelope and handed it to Soren's eager hands. Just as suddenly as he had come, he drove off.

Soren smiled, and brought the bulky envelope to his nose tenderly. He sniffed deeply and sighed contentedly, a glazed look on his eyes. _Ah__... I love money..._

His moment was lost when he noticed a small girl with a balloon tied to her hand watching him. He scowled at her and walked to his car. Ike could go hitch a ride from that brown-haired buffoon in the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Inside the restaurant, the silence was broken as all three of them began to talk and yell and accuse over each other. The hostess at the front tried to ignore them tactfully as she shuffled around nervously at the front of the establishment and made minute changes to tidy up things.<p>

"How do you know him?" a baritone voice asked protectively.

"Unlike _some people, _Ike_, _I get to know my food before I eat it!" a female voice directed to her man. Aimee glanced at the trio. _Does she know my Ikey-poo? Is she... competition?_

Aimee's thoughts were brought to a halt as her coworker butt in obnoxiously, "Guys, guys... No need to fight over me." _Shut up, Boyd, he's mine!_ Aimee suppressed a violent shudder.

The two siblings' voices cried out, "Shut up!" The hostess hummed happily to herself, _Yes, that's right! Stop talking, Boyd, you'll ruin my chances with Ike!_

Aimee reached around the fuming and _hot_ raven-haired male from earlier, to move the umbrella stand back against the wall. She tried to control her fast beating heart; she was so _close _to the new object of her affections...

She almost jumped as her dream guy let out with authority, "Mist! You're not allowed to date this guy!"

"Hey! You were saying you were happy for me!" Boyd's voice whined indignantly.

Mist snapped to her brother, "I can date whoever I want! You're not the boss of me!"

The hostess tried to ignore the loud voice thundering beside her, as she adjusted the coat and hat rack slightly to the left. Her beating heart had slowed; now she was just getting annoyed with the hindrance.

"Yeah, what she said!" Boyd cut in like a child safely behind his mother.

"Whether _you _like it or not, you have to listen to me. Or else I'm telling father," her smug, hunky, hopefully-soon-to-be-boyfriend stated. _Oh, he's so in-charge! He really is my type of man!_ Aimee forcibly stopped herself from swooning. It wouldn't look good for business or for dating first impressions, and she was nothing if committed to her work and love life.

"Yeah, do whatever you want, I don't care 'cause it's not going to stop me!" the girl's voice huffed rebelliously.

"Tch, I thought we were buddies! You don't just cockblock a pal like that!" Her coworker visibly seethed, but Aimee couldn't care less.

"Shut up, Boyd! Me and my bro are talking!" The teen looked as if he had been caught guilty of stealing some stickers from a dollar store.

"Yeah, shut up Boyd!" Boyd's eyes widened at the sibling double-team, before he deflated, seemingly in defeat.

"Tch, fine. Let me just say this..." They both stopped arguing to look at Boyd. "If you make us stop dating, I'm sending an anonymous tip to your dad about a certain excursion... to the dildo shop. With 'borrowed' money. In the middle of the night. With his car. While drunk. While —"

"Okay, okay, I get it! Fine, do whatever you want! Geez, it was just that _one_ lapse of judgement, why does everyone keep bringing it up!?"

Aimee was dumbfounded. Was her newest crush gay? She shook her head as the girl burst out happily, "Yay! Thanks Ike!"

"Heh, and all it took was a dildo," her annoying but admittedly somewhat hot coworker laughed.

"Shut up!" Ike's face burned a cute shade of red. Aimee sighed and tried to force him away from her mind. It wouldn't do to go after someone she was... incompatible with. Especially after that last one. She shuddered at the memory and tried to think of something else to occupy her attention.

As she sighed and examined her nails, now bored, Boyd taunted, "Getting defensive now, are we?"

A feminine voice chuckled, "Boyd, c'mon. He's letting us be. Why don't we ignore him and go somewhere else? Your shift's ending soon anyways..."

He warmed up to the girl instantly. "Heh, well, if you insist, babe..."

Ike felt his temple throbbing in annoyance. Besides all the catastrophe from before, he could hear the babble of people in the restaurant. All the noise was getting to him, and he felt hyper-aware.

"Hey, Tibarn... Th-Those people were talking about a dildo..."

"Hah, I knew that guy liked it up his rear just by looking at him! Hunk's intuition, babe."

"Don't call me 'babe'! I'm not a helpless little child that needs to be coddled!"

A voice huskily chuckled, before it chastised, "Ah, Reyson... Should I remind you of last night?" The large man started whining in falsetto, "'_Oh Tibarn, harder! I'm such a slut~!'_"

"I did _not _say that! Shut up, Tibarn!"

At the other side of the restaurant, by the kitchen, a suave voice crooned, "If it would please you, milady, please allow me to kiss your hand."

A curt, guarded voice replied back exasperatedly, "I'm sorry, _sir, _but my hands are covered in raw meat."

"Ah! The fetid odor merely accentuates your fragrant scent, a delightful albeit curious blend of seduction and charm. Besides, the grime and... cow blood cannot tarnish your hands' beauty! I do love a woman who can handle a blade with skill."

"Oh yes... I'm very good at cutting meat. In fact, the last man who tried to touch me inappropriately..."

"Oh, how coy! The tantalizing beast spurs me on with her elegant aloofness. It only makes mine heart throb harder in the woes of love!"

A few feet away, a blonde woman seemed to spoil her girlfriend. "Here, sweetheart... I ordered as much as I can! I hope you enjoy, my love!"

A soft, delicate-looking lady let out gracefully, "Thank you Heather... I... do feel a bit woozy, though, from all of this waiting... I..."

"Ilyana? Ilyana! My dear, open your sweet eyes! Someone! Anyone! Help my sweet maiden!"

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Oh. It seemed that the hostess had snapped before Ike did. She was heaving and panting, her black hair askew, eyes wide and twitching with irritation. The whole restaurant fell silent. Spoons fell from hands, waiters dropped plates and glasses, eyes all fixated on the black-haired hostess. Finally, she seemed to find her voice, and she said weakly, covering her name tag, "M-My name's actually... not Aimee, heh, you see, despite my name tag... It's a f-funny story actually... A-Anyways, my name's actually, uh... Calill!" She added under her breath, "That bitch," though everyone had heard in the large, silent room.

At that, a blonde, curvy woman in an interesting array of colourful clothes, though it did look good and flatter her figure, scrambled out of the back, screaming. "FUCK YOU, AIMEE, YOU"RE JUST JEALOUS I'M HOT AND SMART AND FIT! IT'S NOT MY FAULT PEOPLE ARE TURNED OFF BY PSYCHO STALKER BITCHES!"

Needless to say, the silence disappeared in favour of a tumultuous eruption of shouts and screams as the dark-haired lady leapt at the blonde. Ike, Boyd and Mist decided to slip out of the restaurant at that instance.

A few moments later a confused, shirtless man walked in the restaurant and waited to be seated. His skin seemed tanned, glowing bronze, and he had strange tribal tattoos over his body. His brown eyes scanned the chaos curiously. _Is this how restaurants are across the desert?_ He didn't like them very much, if that was the case. But regardless, he stayed sitting patiently as he watched the scene. After all, he had been instructed sternly, "Go find out how other restaurants function across the desert. We can use this information to make our own restaurant chain better, so that we can spread across the land and conquer the restaurant business through sheer skill." He agreed with his boss, that sounded like a nice plan. Maybe he could buy a nice shirt. And with that in mind, he stayed seated, waiting for someone to notice him.

* * *

><p>Lyre dried out her tears, and looked up at her sister, who cradled her head in her own lap. Sitting up, Lyre moved over to sit over on her pillow, before Lethe followed her. "So..."<p>

"...Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Yeah... I... I do love you Lethe. Even though you're scary... and mean a lot of the time..."

"I... just didn't want you to get hurt. That boy was trouble, and you know it."

"...Yeah. You're right..." Lyre sighed. It was true, she couldn't deny that.

"But, I shouldn't... have to tell you who or who not to date. I'll... trust you from now on to make good judgements, okay?"

Lyre's eyes widened. This was as close as she could get to an apology from Lethe. It was Lethe's own way of saying 'I'm sorry, I won't do it again'.

She hugged her sister tightly, who hugged back just as fiercely. After a few moments, Lethe pushed her away and averted her eyes. "So... Are you going to tell me why you were so upset?"

Lyre pretended to think, before she giggled. "Yeah, of course I'll tell you. Now I can tell you stuff that I can't tell anyone else!" Her giddiness died down as she was brought back to reality. She could feel her eyes beginning to get teary again. Stubbornly, she shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It's... Ranulf... Lethe, he's... he's gay..."

Lethe wasn't surprised at all, to be honest. She always thought he had been, had assumed it even, if the way he looked at guys was any inclination. But she tactfully decided against saying 'I knew it!' Instead, she replied lamely, and in her opinion, much more tactfully than the other reply, "Oh..."

_Well... It probably is a big deal to her, actually. Lyre's been obsessed with him ever since summer, I can remember. Even though we didn't talk... I could hear her loud and clear as they talked on the phone. It doesn't help that she plastered her room full of pics of her '~Ran-Ran~'._

Lethe rubbed her eyes tiredly. What could she do? "Lyre... There's nothing we can do. He is the way he is, and you are the way you are. ...I bet someone else will like you just as much as you like Ranulf. Why not look for that person instead? I bet you'll like him, too."

Lyre, despite her teary, red eyes, smiled softly. "Yeah... I think I'll like him too..."

As they hugged for the umpteenth time that day, a small voice in the back of her head that wasn't heard said wistfully, _Ranulf... ...Kyza..._

* * *

><p>Ranulf awoke to a cheery voice. "Ranulf! Here, I got you food. And you start driving again tomorrow! That guy's your teacher. Anyways, your lesson's at 4. ...I'm going to go rest now."<p>

He peeped his eyes open and sighed. The light from his window was bothering his eyes. He rubbed his eyes awake and sat up straighter. As his mind awoke while he chewed on some fries, he realized, _Wait, that means the hot guy's my instructor! _He couldn't help but notice absentmindedly that he felt both nervous and elated. _I... He was checking me out before, so... I guess I should dress up... But not too much! No, no..._

He was brought out of his thoughts by his cell phone ringing. He checked the caller ID, which read 'Lyre'. He automatically hit answer.

"Hey, Lyre..."

"Ranulf! Ranulf, guess what! Me and my sister made up finally!"

His eyes widened in surprise. _That was interesting... Why all of a sudden, though?_ He replied, "That's cool! Er... Great, I should say. But why all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

Lyre laughed a bit too much. "No, no! Haha! Heh! Uh, here, say hi to Ranulf..." He heard her mutter under her breath and a voice called out wearily, "Hi, Ranulf. Lyre just ran out of the room."

"Heya. How's it goin'? What made you guys make up all of a sudden?" He hoped that Lethe would get to the point.

And she did. She deadpanned, "Well, she was surprised you were gay."

He felt a little pit sink in his stomach. _Oh... I should have known she'd be upset. I mean, it's not like it WASN'T obvious that she liked me. _Inwardly, he beat himself up about it. He guiltily replied, "Tell her that I say sorry... for not telling her earlier." _Hopefully Lyre knows what I mean..._

Lethe sighed, before she said bluntly, "Just tell her you're sorry yourself. And... come on, let's be straight up, hm?"

He sighed. Lethe was right. She was almost always right. "Yeah... I should do it in person I guess?"

"Yes. Now bye." He heard a _click _and huffed indignantly at her curtness. _Ugh... Tomorrow's going to be quite a day. Talking to Lyre, and meeting with... _He swallowed. _My... teacher..._

* * *

><p>Ranulf groaned to himself. Despite his heart telling him to run after Lyre, Lethe had kept him in his seat forcibly, while Kyza had ran after her. He hadn't realized Lyre had liked him... so much... He recalled the events beforehand, replaying it in his mind repeatedly, cursing himself.<p>

Things had been uneventful until lunch time. He had been nervous but excited. He couldn't wait to talk to Lyre; he wanted to tell her about the hot guy from before, and how he would be his teacher now. And then he had the driving lesson after school as well... And besides that, he had to say sorry, too...

But despite his efforts, he couldn't find her until the very end of lunch. Giving up, he had resigned himself to talking to her during class, as the warning bell rang. He had made his way to his final class, Planning, which he shared with Lyre, Kyza, and Lethe. It wasn't really a class at all; most of the time they just worked on their resumes and portfolios. Needless to say it was a laidback class and talking amongst each other was the bulk of the work that went on.

As he reached the room, he saw Lethe, Kyza and Lyre all sitting in the room already, among others. Apparently they had all been doing a makeup 'quiz', which was more like a test, for history. "Which is why we couldn't have lunch with you, so sorry Ran-Ran!"

"Oh, it's no problem. But... Listen, can we talk for a bit? Like... in the corner there?"

Lyre looked puzzled, but followed him at his beckoning to the isolated corner. He took a shuddering breath and began, "Um... I just wanted to say sorry. For... not telling you earlier."

Lyre blinked, before recollecting herself and laughing, seemingly easily, "No, no, it's fine. I don't —"

Ranulf cut her off abruptly. "I-I meant... I should have... considered your feelings. I... k-know you kind of like, or liked, me..." Lyre inwardly felt like pulling her hair. She hated how she could feel her eyes begin to tear up, she hated how Ranulf's green eyes looked at her in concern, she hated how warm and soft he felt, how good he smelled, how her breath caught when he took her into a soft and tight hug, as his melodious voice murmured like a mantra. "I'm sorry... Sorry..."

She sniffed, before pushing away lightly. "Th-Thanks... I'm better now, really."

He looked at her intently, before reverting to his trademark grin. "Good! A purdy gurl like you don't deserve the sniffles. Now come to sugar daddy into my van of candy and lovin'." He wiggled his eyebrows before swooping in. He took her into another tight hug deceptively before he began to tickle her all over the place. She began to laugh and writhe under his touch.

"St-Stop it! Aha! N-No, haha, that hurts, I mean, tickles! Stop it!" He looked at her once before he let her go and walked back to an amused Kyza and bemused Lyre. As Lyre made her way back to them, he said in his lowest (which was not that deep) husky (admittedly, it was pretty much as husky as a puppy's yip) undertone, "Come back for more of sugar daddy, alright, sugar?"

This prompted Lethe to snort and Kyza to blush and hiss, "That's indecent!"

Lyre giggled in a fit of laughter, before she punched Kyza playfully on the arm. "Oh, come on, Kyza, you're no fun."

Bored, Lethe began to punch Kyza's arm as well repeatedly. Lyre followed her sister's example, to Ranulf's amusement. Kyza ignored them, and tried to dignify himself by looking over his neatly organized and detailed agenda.

Suddenly Ranulf remembered what he had wanted to tell Lyre all day. "Oh! Lyre, remember how I told you I was getting a driving instructor sometime?" He didn't wait for a response as he continued to ramble, "Well, guess what! This guy from McDonalds, who was totally checking me out, is gonna be my instructor! And I'm driving today!"

Lethe scoffed. "Oh, yes, only Ranulf would think about picking up a stranger from McDonalds, of all places. Congrats."

Ranulf replied indignantly with a pout, "Hey! I wasn't talking to you. And anyways, he was... as hot as a sizzlin' steak. His biceps are ginormous!"

He glanced at Kyza for support, who nodded and hummed, "He was rather handsome, admittedly. What?" He shrugged at Lethe's inquisitive glance at his comment.

Lyre tried to bring herself to smile for her friend, but something in her broke when she did. Suddenly she couldn't help it; tears were swimming down her face hot and fast, dripping down and dampening her loose sheets of paper on her desk. Lethe noticed instantly, and ignored Ranulf who continued to talk to her about the hot guy. Kyza noticed a bit later, and finally Ranulf noticed as he stopped his tirade of praise for the stranger.

Lethe tentatively began, "Lyre...? What's wrong?"

Lyre laughed, her voice a bit too high, her arms noticeably tense and shaking by her face as she wiped her tears on them. She replied hysterically, almost cheerfully, but they all knew better. "Oh, n-nothing! H-ha, i-it's funny isn't it? It just f-figures that he's g-gay! Only a b-b-boy could get Ranulf so happy! It's j-just... not f-f-fair!"

At that, she began trembling violently, laughing hollowly, before she began to sob harshly. Kyza tried to comfort her, and wrapped an arm around her, but she angrily pushed it away, before she slammed her chair into her desk and ran out the door. Ranulf stood up, making to go after her, but Lethe pulled on his arm to get him back down. It was then that he noticed almost everyone was looking at them. A few students alternated their glances between Mr. Lance, who had tactfully began speaking to the whole of the class but the three of them, trying to divert the attention as only a teacher could.

Ranulf dropped to his seat, defeated. He then noticed that Kyza, who sat in front of him, had gone, presumably after Lyre. _Lyre... Is that how she really feels? D-Does she h-hate me? _He didn't notice he was crying until the hot tears fell onto his desk. Abruptly, Lethe took him by the arm and left the room. She dragged him to a nearby hallway, which was thankfully empty. She tried her best to get him to calm down and settle down, but to no avail. A few moments later, they were joined by a concerned Mr. Lance.

Ranulf was aware of Mr. Lance muttering softly, "I'm sorry I took so long, Lethe. I had to find Mr. Braxe to substitute for the class. Why don't we head down to my office?"

Lethe glanced at Ranulf, who shrugged as tears fell down his face. He was trembling and taking shuddering breaths. Lethe sighed softly, and followed the counsellor, while holding onto Ranulf's arm and squeezing it reassuringly.

* * *

><p>"Lyre! Lyre!"<p>

He was running after her down the halls. He didn't think she even knew where she was going. A small voice told him in the back of his head that he should be walking, not running, down the hallway, but he brushed that side of him away. He saw her head into the boy's washroom. He sighed; she probably wasn't even looking where she was going. He thundered his steps to a halt and walked into the bathroom slowly. There she was, leaning against a wall, sunken, crying.

And despite everything, he felt his heart melt at the sight. She was beautiful... How could no one else see it?

He made his way over to her, and knelt beside her. He wrapped one arm around her, and she shifted slightly so that he could be closer. She sniffed, and rubbed her eyes before she let them down by her side. Instantly Kyza wrapped his other arm around her, embracing her in a tight hug. She heard him murmuring, "You're beautiful... Don't cry..."

She clung to him as if he was what she wanted, what she needed. A few minutes passed before her breathing steadied. She gently pushed him away; he seemed reluctant to let go. But he did. And then he readjusted his arms so that he was holding her on each upper arm. He pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. He seemed at peace with the world then.

Lyre froze. She didn't know what he was doing, or what she should say. After a few minutes passed by awkwardly, she began uncertainly, "Are you... sleeping...?"

His eyes flashed open, and he gazed at her intensely. His eyes shone with passion and what seemed to be... love. She coughed, but he seemed to disregard that and her question. Slowly, he brought a finger to her lips and traced it as if it were an intricate Renaissance carving. She felt her breath hitch. _Is he... going to...?_

He began to move closer to her, his eyes still as intense and passionate. He sensually brought their lips together. She didn't melt into it like he had thought she would, but neither did she push him away, alarmed. She didn't react in any way. She just stayed there, accepting the kiss.

He let their lips stay like that, in a chaste, soft kiss, before he tentatively brought his hands to the back of her neck and to her back. He deepened the kiss, and tentatively nipped at her lips. Finally, she jolted, and her face snapped away from his.

She seemed to have been brought out of indecision, as she began to tear up again. "No, no... Ranulf... _Ranulf... Ranulf!"_

Kyza felt his heart rip, tear, break, stop. He tilted her face towards his gently. His eyes shone with tremulous hope and unshed tears as he began to lean in again. She watched him near, upset and angry and pitying and happy all at once. But as his lips touched hers again, she pulled back harshly, and slapped his cheek a bit too hard. A resounding _smack _echoed throughout the room. His head slowly began to turn back towards hers. Instantly she felt bad. She was about to apologize, when she looked into his eyes and saw his broken look. All words ceased from her as she felt herself at a loss for words to justify how she had just rejected him, broken him.

Kyza felt his own tears begin to form. He couldn't move. The tears refused to stay with his eyes, and stubbornly fell down across his face.

They were brought out of their situation by quick footsteps that showed that someone had entered the washroom. They both stayed quiet, while they heard sniffling as someone used a stall. They continued to stare at each other; Lyre looked remorseful, Kyza looked distraught.

They heard the toilet flush, and heard the tap go on as Ranulf let out a hoarse, quiet, "...Oh..."

The tap stayed on, the water flowing as they all stayed motionless. Finally Lyre hastily stood up, and rushed past Ranulf without another word. She exited the washroom, and headed into the girl's washroom beside it. She locked herself into a stall and began to cry her heart out.

* * *

><p>As Lethe and Ranulf settled themselves into Mr. Lance's office, Mr. Lance sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Outside they could hear, through the window, sounds of running and yelling. Above all the chaos they heard Mr. Braxe yelling, "Move, maggots! I want to see some intense Capture the Flag moves, dastardly devious strategies, heroic sacrifices!"<p>

Mr. Lance laughed to himself, and told Lethe quietly as he shut the window and blinds, "I told him to give the class a personality quiz worksheet, but this works all the same. He almost never listens to me..." He ridiculed the other teacher softly to himself, before gently asking Ranulf, "Would you like Lethe to stay, or go?" Ranulf shrugged, still sniffing and shaking. "Okay... Lethe would like to stay, is that alright Ranulf?" He received a small, nearly imperceptible nod from the crying blond.

Mr. Lance began, "Would you like to explain what happened?" After receiving no response, he asked Lethe, "Would you like to tell me what happened? How Lyre became upset, why Ranulf — Well, maybe we'll leave that for a little while later."

After glancing at her friend, who still seemed upset and was quivering, she muttered, "Lyre's just dealing with the fact that her long-time crush isn't going to be requited anytime soon. She... seemed to be okay until now. I talked to her yesterday, and she seemed to cheer up. And today, Ranulf even patched things up with her. He... He apologized, though he didn't have anything to be sorry for. I guess... Ranulf just felt terrible for feeling like he didn't take her feelings into account."

She looked over at her friend, who at the very least seemed to be taking steadier breaths. She continued, "Maybe... I think Ranulf's upset because he thought Lyre was okay too. But when Ranulf started talking about this guy he liked, Lyre lost it, and... said something along the lines of how 'only boys could make Ranulf happy.'"

_Ah..._ At that, Ranulf began to start crying again, and his shuddering breaths came back. _Maybe I shouldn't have said it..._

Ranulf then said, "M-Mr. L-Lance, I-I h-have to g-g-go to the b-bathr-room."

Lethe sighed. _Liar... _But she piped up, "I'll accompany him, Mr. Lance, if that's okay."

Mr. Lance nodded slowly; he seemed to be in deep thought. The pair rose and Lethe grabbed ahold of the shaking teen's sleeve; he was walking in the wrong direction. Eventually they reached the boy's washroom; she waited outside for a minute or two, when suddenly she saw Lyre's tear-streaked face burst out from the boy's bathroom to the girl's bathroom. She hesitated, but after two glances, headed into the bathroom after her sister.

Inside the boy's washroom, Ranulf and Kyza were left alone with each other. The tap still ran, and Ranulf still needed to wash his hands. Finally Kyza stood up and turned the tap off slowly. He seemed to be in a daze. Ranulf turned the tap back on, and washed his hands quickly. He dried them on his pants, and asked quietly, still sniffing, "W-What's up?"

Kyza glanced over to him sadly. He regarded the blond; his brilliant green eyes were red from crying, and his face seemed puffy. Yet Kyza couldn't deny that he was very attractive, that his own wounded heart needed something, anything. And so he began to edge closer to Ranulf, who looked confused. His eyebrows wrinkled, and he looked... cute.

Suddenly Kyza couldn't hold himself back, and he hastily closed the rest of the distance between them, capturing the surprised boy's lips in a heated, needy kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _Dear readers,_

_This concludes the beta version of **New Beginnings**. In other words, **Driver's Seat** was and is the inspiration for my to-be-completed-surely Ranulf/Ike story. I hope you enjoyed a glance of what was the base idea for **New Beginnings**, which is to be, in my opinion, much less over-the-top, and much more realistic and satisfying to read. If this beta build of **Driver's Seat** has anything going for it, I'd say it's the apparent youthful charm inherent with light-at-heart teenagers. Hopefully you enjoyed it... The new story will still be a silly and serious mess of a mix, but I'd say that's the captivating attribute._

_My rationale for discontinuing it is as follows:_

_In my revision process, I've decided that this story is too... juvenile for my tastes. I could poke holes into it everywhere until it dissolved. Among many things, I just cannot deal with the characters and their actions as they stand so far. This story won't be getting finished as it is right now. What I will do is this, though: I'm going to majorly change the elements of the story so that it's much more cohesive and up to my standards. To those of you who enjoyed this story, hopefully you can forgive me, or at the very least, give the revised, new-and-improved version of this story a chance._

_My plan is for this story to take place in college instead. Guess who'll be roomies? Among other reasons, college stories aren't as common as high school ones, so I thought it'd be a nice form of refreshment in terms of pace, as well as for myself, and hopefully you guys as well._

_So, at that, I hope you look forward to the new and improved '**Driver's Seat 2.0**', which is titled **New Beginnings**. I viewed **Driver's Seat **as, to my writing, an abomination, a stain upon a fabric that could be cleaned off, at least until I edited it. That's basically what I've done, though, and I'm glad. I've removed it, first, then cleansed and polished the story 'til it became almost up to par with my other ones, and then re-uploaded it so that it's there if anyone wishes to view it._

_Sadly, there were some fundamental flaws that would just take too much time to fix, and I'd rather leave the whole of this story as true to what it was as can be, while making it much more appealing from a professional-ish standpoint._

_My writing's matured noticeably, at least to me, so there we are. I've uploaded this so that this old 'beta' version won't be lost forever. I'm odd like that, but maybe some people in the near or far future would appreciate the polished, halfway-complete beta, if you will, of the new story, if **New Beginnings** ever gains ground or likeability among fanfiction readers._

_Thanks for reading. If you liked this, and haven't already, perhaps you should check out my story **New Beginnings**, which has a similar premise, and depicts Ike and Ranulf's relationship as they live together in a dorm in university._


End file.
